Don't Take My Dream
by Angevon
Summary: Cutesy shippy fluff. [One-shots written for daily prompts] [P4HeroxYosuke]
1. fancy dress

[Author's notes: This is a collection of drabbles & ficlets written for Souyowrimo 2017 on tumblr. Each chapter will be for a different prompt, so they are not really related except that they all feature Souji/Yosuke as the pairing. It was a writing challenge so they're short too.

A Yu Narukami version is available at Dreamwidth at the following address:  
angevon dot dreamwidth dot org/43139 dot html  
Every 'dot' should be a '.'

Please enjoy!]

* * *

 **Day 1 - fancy dress**

 _You can do this,_ Yosuke told himself. _It's easy. You watched 5 how-to videos, you can totally do this!_

He took in a deep breath, let it all out in a sigh, and then draped the loose tie around his neck. He smoothed both ends against his chest, idly admiring the tie's music note pattern. It was cute, something Nanako-chan had got for him when he'd earned a promotion at work. He was going to break it in today… if he could figure out how to tie it!

Okay, cross the wide part over here, then cross again, and then pull up, and then pull through and then tighten and…

And then tear your hair out in frustration.

"Again?" Yosuke muttered in his dismay. He shook his head while attempting to untie the big mess of a knot he'd made. At this rate he might as well just make it a noose.

As if sensing his darkening thoughts, a presence was suddenly behind him. Then another pair of hands was gently tugging the tie out of his own.

"May I?" Souji asked softly.

"Please," Yosuke said.

Souji got comfortable against Yosuke's back, pressing in close. Yosuke didn't mind. He let his hands drop out of the way while he watched Souji's thin, manicured fingers undo the knot and smooth out the tie.

"Like this," Souji murmured. "Over, up, over, under… ah!" He pulled up too fast and nearly hit Yosuke in the face. "Sorry!"

"It's okay," Yosuke said, "keep going."

Souji's chin was resting on Yosuke's shoulder, so Yosuke felt him nod. "So, after that… under and over again… see? Then under, up, and… through the loop!"

He tugged the wide part down through the loop he'd somehow made through all this tying. Yosuke stared. The tie was almost perfectly tied. "Thanks," he said, tugging at it just to test it. Yep, the thin part was nicely hidden behind the main tie… Amazing.

Instead of pulling away, Souji moved his hands to Yosuke's belly and held him in a tight hug. "You're welcome."

"Mm," Yosuke said, grinning to himself. "What would I do without you, partner?"

"Use a clip on," Souji answered, and Yosuke broke out of the hug to bat him lightly with the back of his hand.


	2. picnic

**Day 2 - Picnic**

It was a beautiful summer day at the Samegawa riverbank. Birds were chirping in the distant trees, butterflies fluttered among the dandelions, and the thin clouds above ensured that the sun wasn't scorching. It was the perfect scenario for a romantic picnic.

Or it would've been, of Souji hadn't decided all of a sudden that fishing was more interesting than making eyes at his partner.

Yosuke pouted on the blanket they'd eaten on. He supposed they shouldn't be kissing or anything in front of Nanako-chan, but he still couldn't help but be disappointed. Souji came all the way back to Inaba to enjoy the summer break and this is how he was going to spend it?

"What do you think, Nanako-chan?" Yosuke asked. "Does it annoy you too?"

"W-well," she said, "if big bro wants to go fishing, it's okay..."

Yosuke observed Souji as he fished at the rocky pier. He'd caught the guardian last year, Yosuke remembered it clearly, so what else could there be? He guessed that there could be something relaxing about fishing, but...

"You're too nice, Nanako-chan," Yosuke said. He lowered his voice, in case it carried on the wind and Souji heard. "I think it's time to bring out my secret weapon."

"Secret... weapon?"

Yosuke grinned at her and abruptly stood up, moving to the big cooler he'd brought to the picnic. It didn't have food in it, and he hadn't opened it until now.

He waited for Nanako to follow him and flung it open dramatically to reveal: water balloons.

He'd been intending to slug it out with Souji later, but hadn't managed to bring up the subject. With Souji preoccupied by fishing, there wouldn't be an opportunity. Yosuke decided then he'd just have to make one instead!

Yosuke grabbed a yellow balloon and pressed it into Nanako's hands. She looked at it uncertainly before glancing up at him. He nodded at her encouragingly but when she looked towards her big bro at the pier she just turned the balloon over in her hands and didn't do anything.

Fine, Yosuke thought. I'll handle this. He grabbed a balloon, stomped towards Souji, yelled a "Look out!" and let it fly.

It soared in a beautiful arc. Souji turned at the last second and it hit him square in the chest. In his surprise he stepped backwards and slipped right into the river. He fell in with a ridiculously big splash.

Yosuke ran to edge of the pier to have a look. Souji was standing there in the river, soaking wet with the most sour expression on his face.

Yosuke howled in laughter. It was just too funny. Souji was still holding the fishing rod, and he swung it now as if he was going to continue to fish while still standing in the river. Yosuke wiped his eyes, they were watering because it was so funny.

Out of nowhere something heavy hit his back. Startled, Yosuke jumped forward—and he too fell right into the river.

"What the!" he spluttered, splashing water everywhere until he realized how shallow it was.

Now Souji was laughing hard. Yosuke turned towards the riverbank and discovered the culprit right there: Nanako-chan.

"D-don't be mean to big bro!" she cried.

He couldn't help but smile, because that was funny too. "Yeah I guess I deserved that," he admitted.

Souji sighed heavily. "You scared away all the fish."

"H-how sad," Yosuke said without any trace of sadness. "Guess you'll have to go fishing another day, huh?"

Souji stared at him for an uncomfortably long moment. Finally, he shrugged and shouldered his fishing pole just like he used to do with his katana. "I _guess_ we can do something else."

"There are a lot more water balloons where that came from," Yosuke suggested.

Souji was smiling as he walked out of the river. There was a glint in his eye, too, one that Yosuke recognized. It meant he was totally going to regret throwing that first balloon, but right now, all he could think of was how happy he was to fight with his partner once again.


	3. school

**Day 3 - School**

Despite winter's chill, the Dojima residence was nice and warm. This was mostly due to the centerpiece of the living room: the brand new kotatsu. It was so comfy that Yosuke was pretty sure he wouldn't move from it even to use the bathroom.

He should get up and walk around soon, though. His attention span simply couldn't handle working on this essay for much longer. The teacher had apparently assigned it as a last hurrah before the end of the term. He expected better from Ms. Sofue, but here he and Souji were, scouring their textbooks and the Internet for obscure facts about Mesopotamian statuary.

Yosuke groaned and set his head on the kotatsu table in a gesture of defeat. "I hate this," he complained.

Nanako blinked at him. She'd been drawing while they worked but now she stopped to frown at him. "You hate school?"

For some reason she sounded so sad that Yosuke had to diffuse it. Hate was a strong word, after all. "W-well, you know," – he waved a hand, his head still resting on the table – "I hate a lot of things. It's not really unique to school."

" _I'm_ at school," Souji began to say.

Yosuke shook his head, causing the papers under his head to rustle. "That's not one of those things."

"And Chie's at school," Souji continued, "and Yukiko, and Kou, and Daisuke, and..." He went on and on, naming all sorts of things at school that Yosuke couldn't possibly hate.

Yosuke ignored him because he was facing Nanako, and her expression was preoccupied. She was thinking hard about something... It was curious.

All of a sudden, her expression brightened, as if the Junes commercial had come on. "Big bro!" she cried.

"—and the vending machines," Souji was saying, "and... hmm?"

Nanako bounced in her seat. "Yosuke-nii said he likes you!"

Now Yosuke jerked his head back from the table. "Wh-wh-wh-what?"

"You did!" she said. "You said... you hate school but you don't hate big bro, so... that means you like him!"

"C-come on, Nanako-chan," Yosuke protested. "If you don't hate something, it doesn't mean you like it! The world's not made of absolutes like that. Besides, that's not even what I meant."

"Oh," Souji said. "So you don't like me."

"I don't," Yosuke confirmed.

It got so quiet after that, Yosuke was sure he could hear the snowflakes falling outside.

"I see," Souji said a beat later, the exact same moment in which Yosuke realized what he'd just said.

"No no no no no," he said, frantically waving his arms. "I didn't mean that! Of course I like you, you're my best friend and, and... I mean I wouldn't be here if I didn't like you."

"Good," Souji said. That seemed to have appeased him. He wore a tiny little smile, and his eyes were bright like stars.

"Yeah," Yosuke said, relaxing now that the tension was eased. He picked up his pencil and turned his attention back to the essay. He wrote another couple of sentences.

"Because I really like you too," Souji went on.

Yosuke's pencil skittered across the page as he froze up. Because the way Souji had said that was... He glanced up for confirmation and—

"I knew it!" Nanako cheered.

—buried his face in his hands. He couldn't tell if he felt so warm from the kotatsu or something else. "Really, partner?" he whined.

"Really," Souji said.

Yosuke sighed, and mumbled, "Fine maybe I like you too geez."

Nanako's giggles made it worth the embarrassment.


	4. clothing swap

**Day 4 - Clothes Swap**

Yosuke was rudely awoken by bright sunlight shining right into his eyes. He blinked, confused, since his futon wasn't anywhere near a window. It dawned on him a moment later that he wasn't at home. That's right, he'd stayed overnight in Souji's room at the Dojima residence.

He glared at the big window as if he could mentally pull the blinds shut. No such luck. With a sigh he rolled over and decided to get up. At a glance, he found he was alone in the room. Seemed like Souji was already up.

He found the bag he'd brought over, intending to root around in it for the clothes he'd packed, but when he opened the bag he found it was totally empty. He frowned, glanced up and then back in the bag. No, it really was empty. He knew he packed clothes, he remembered doing it because Teddie had made a big deal of it. 'Don't forget your underbear' or something. Yosuke shook his head at the memory.

He heard the door open, but his back was to it. "Good morning, Yosuke," he heard Souji say.

"'Morning," Yosuke replied. He glanced over his shoulder. "Hey do you know what happened to my... uh."

He stared at Souji, because his question was answered right there. He recognized those bright red cargo pants Souji was wearing, with the little hole starting to wear right above the left knee. And his favorite shirt, the one with the three red birds on it. It was a v-neck, and on Souji exposing that much skin was downright dangerous.

"Uh... what..." Yosuke managed.

Souji shifted from one foot to the other. Yosuke watched him, mesmerized. "S-sorry, is this too much? Since you borrowed my spare pajamas last night, I thought maybe I could borrow your clothes today, and you could wear mine. But if it's too weird, umm..."

"It's okay," Yosuke said. His neck was getting sore from staring over his shoulder like this, so he scooted around in place so that he was facing Souji now and could take in the full view.

Souji was smiling shyly at him. "You don't mind? People will notice at school, so it might be a problem."

"I don't care," Yosuke said. "You look way too good, partner."

"Yeah?" Souji glanced down at his clothes. Then he grinned. "Now you know how I feel every day."

"C-come on," Yosuke protested, but he was blushing anyway.


	5. cuddles

[Author's note: This one is based on Days Without Nights, another fic of mine in which Yosuke has an eight-year-old son named Kichirou.]

* * *

 **Day 5 - Cuddles**

Yosuke wasn't exactly _depressed_ that Souji was away on work business, but he definitely wasn't feeling himself. Dinner had been cheap takeout because he hadn't felt like cooking—a bad habit, he knew, and Souji would probably be disappointed if he knew, but… It was Souji's first day gone so he deserved some slack!

Anyway, Yosuke planned to waste the lonely night on trashy television. He flipped through the channels, trying to find something that would fit the bill. Japanese television always left a lot to be desired. He ended up settling on the evening news.

Soon Kichirou joined him on the couch. They watched part of a news segment together before Kichirou spoke up. "Hey, Dad…?"

Yosuke easily shifted his attention from the weekend weather report to his son. Kichirou was at the edge of his seat, apparently about to burst with excitement. _This should be good,_ Yosuke thought. "Yeah, Ki-kun?"

Kichirou beamed at him and tripped over his next words. "It's not a school night, so... Do you think… Can we watch the new Featherman movie? You haven't seen it yet!"

Yosuke smiled at him, bemused by a thought. "Are you suggesting this because your Uncle Seta isn't here?"

"Y-yeah," Kichirou admitted. "I don't know why he doesn't like Featherman."

"He was always a Loveline fan," Yosuke said. "But sure, let's watch it."

Kichirou volunteered to put in the DVD and just a few minutes later they were watching the feature film. Yosuke didn't have any idea what was going to happen in this movie. He'd kinda tuned his son out when he'd gone on and on about it back when the movie had first come out.

During the opening credits, Kichirou cuddled up against Yosuke's side. Yosuke glanced down to see him grinning shyly up at him. Yosuke put his arm around his son and drew him close.

It seemed like he didn't have to waste the night after all.

For a kid's movie, it wasn't bad. The Featherman series was adept at sneaking in jokes and themes more geared towards adults so that parents watching it with their kids wouldn't get bored. Yosuke didn't really need that though. He'd been a fan way back when he was a kid. It was fun just to see what they were doing with the series now. They'd added another female hero for diversity, but thankfully hadn't let the story focus on romance.

As they watched, Kichirou got really comfortable, resting more of his weight against his dad. Yosuke patted his shoulder affectionately and he giggled. Yosuke couldn't help but smile. A few years from now and he might be too old to want to hang out with his old man like this.

"I really like this part," Kichirou said. He yawned widely after and buried his head against Yosuke's side.

At Kichirou's urging, Yosuke paid close attention to the next scene. It was full of action and lots of cheesy posing but the lines were memorable. There was a mind control thing and Red Condor dramatically broke free of it right at last second.

"That was pretty good," Yosuke said when it was over.

Kichirou didn't answer. When he looked down, Yosuke found his son had fallen asleep.

When the credits rolled, Yosuke carefully repositioned Kichirou into his lap. Then he carried the boy to bed. He tucked him into his Featherman-themed sheets, told him a soft 'goodnight' and left him with a small kiss on his forehead.

Things were okay, even without Souji.


	6. cooking

**Day 6 - Cooking**

Souji sat on the couch in his dorm, working on some crossword puzzles to pass the time. He should crack out the textbook for the class he was skipping today, but then he'd have to get up and find it in his room, and he wasn't sure he could. He shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable, but only managed to regret it as a pain shot through his leg. It wasn't bad at all when he didn't move, but it was hard to sit still for so long. With a sigh he tried to focus on the next puzzle.

About a half an hour later, Yosuke finally came home from his morning classes. "Hi," Souji greeted as he walked past the couch.

Yosuke jumped and let out a cute little gasp. He calmed down a second later. "Damn, don't scare me like that! I didn't see you there."

"Sorry," Souji said with an uneasy smile.

Yosuke frowned at him, thinking. Souji realized he had to be wondering what he was doing here instead of in class. The way his nostrils flared and his eyes widened meant he was probably jumping to the worst conclusions. It was almost like Souji was waiting here for him, after all, which wasn't far from the truth, but not for the reasons Yosuke might be thinking.

Souji headed it off before it could become a problem. "So, uhh... I overdid it at the daycare yesterday. I bent down too much, and now my legs are so stiff and sore. It hurts too much to walk far, so I had to skip class."

"Ahhhh," said Yosuke with a nod. "You should take it easy today, then."

"It was hard enough to use the bathroom," Souji said.

"All right," Yosuke said. "Do you need anything? Food? Water?"

"I didn't eat anything this morning," Souji admitted. "Anything's fine."

"I can totally make you lunch," Yosuke said, his eyes lighting up.

"We can order takeout," Souji said.

Yosuke was shaking his head. "It's fine, partner. I got this."

He headed into the tiny alcove that was their shared kitchen. Souji tried to turn around on the couch to watch him, but his body protested and he soon gave up. His curiosity would just have to wait.

"Hey," Yosuke called from the alcove. He was chopping something, but Souji couldn't tell what. "Do you need any muscle rub?"

"I'm all right," Souji answered. "But thanks."

"Aww, you don't want me to rub it on for you?"

Souji smiled to himself. "Save that for sunscreen the next time we go to the beach."

He heard Yosuke let out a chuckle. "That's a promise!"

Soon a distinct smell came from the kitchen: egg. More correctly, the smell was probably coming from their fridge. Souji remembered he'd boiled a couple dozen eggs the other night so that they could bring totally Junes deviled eggs to a party Rise was hosting this weekend. Every time you opened the fridge now, that eggy smell wafted out.

"I think we have a heating pad somewhere," Yosuke called. "Want me to find it?"

"After lunch, please," Souji answered.

Just a minute later, Yosuke came over to him and handed a big red rubber hot water bottle. "Found it in the kitchen," Yosuke said, "so I filled it up with hot water from the sink."

"Thanks," Souji said. It was nice and warm, heavenly when he placed it on his lap over both his thighs. He closed his eyes and relaxed while Yosuke went back to work.

Sometime later, Souji felt a tap on his shoulder. "Ta-dahhhh," Yosuke said. With a flourish, he presented Souji with a plate. On it was a sandwich, cut diagonally, with a handful of pretzels on the side.

Souji blinked at it, then took the plate and lifted a corner of the bread to peek at the stuffing. "Egg salad?"

"Yeah. I mean, we made all those eggs. We can spare one."

"Huh," said Souji. "I thought you could only boil eggs. Not... this!"

"Come on," Yosuke said flatly. "You can't just eat a boiled egg. Well, I guess you could, but... It's better if you prepare it in some way! This is just the next step."

"Egg salad," Souji repeated with a dreamy sigh. He balanced the plate in his lap on top of the water bottle and began to eat.

In a word, it was delicious. The perfect ratio of mustard to mayonnaise, a little bit of dill pickle relish to add flavor, tiny chunks of celery for texture...

"Uh, Souji," Yosuke said slowly, "are you... all right?"

"H-happy," he said through a mouthful of egg. He sniffled and dabbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He swallowed, then choked up when trying to say, 'it's good.'

"Are you _crying?_ "

Souji wiped his eyes again. "Sorry, I just... I felt so helpless all day and I was hungry too and then you made this for me and... it's _good,_ and...!"

"It's just egg salad," Yosuke said.

"But you made it with love," Souji said, "and I can tell, and..."

"G-geez..."

"Can you..." Souji began. He took Yosuke's hand and ran his thumb over the back. "…make this again sometime? Please?"

"I-it's just egg salad!" Yosuke was totally blushing, but he relented. "All right, all right... The next time we boil some eggs, I'll make some egg salad for both of us. All right?"

"It's a promise," Souji said with a smile.


	7. video games

[Summary: Yosuke plays DRAMAtical Murder.]

* * *

[Author's note: Minor spoilers for DRAMAtical Murder, I guess? OTL]

 **Day 7 - Video Games**

Souji came home from class to find Yosuke sitting at the computer desk, clicking away at something. Souji set his backpack on the couch and opened it to pull out his textbooks. "Please don't tell me you're ruining my Sims game even further," he said lightly.

"Nah," Yosuke replied. He glanced at Souji and waved him over. "Actually, come check this out. Rise sent me a game to play."

By the layout of the dialogue box at the lower end of the screen and the 2D anime-style character portrait in the center, Souji easily guessed the genre. "Oh, is this a visual novel?"

"Yeah, it's called Dramatical Murder and it's pretty cool so far."

Wait, what? Souji blinked several times. Wasn't that a... boy's love game?

Yosuke was still talking. "Despite the name, no one's died yet. I keep expecting something _dramatic_ to happen, you know?" He laughed. "There was this virtual reality game thing that the main character got sucked into a few minutes ago. It kind of made me think of the TV World."

"Uh, neat," Souji said, his words tinged with worry. Yosuke didn't know what he was getting into with this game. Should... should he warn him?

"I still don't know what this gas mask guy's deal is," Yosuke said, turning his full attention back to the game.

Souji narrowed his eyes and then just shrugged. Yosuke would figure it out sooner or later. The absence of any important female characters should've clued him in anyway. Maybe... Souji smiled to himself at the sudden thought. Maybe he'd work on his classwork in here so he could witness Yosuke's reaction firsthand.

It was maybe twenty minutes later when Yosuke shouted "Dude!" in a voice loud enough to be heard by the neighbors. Realizing his volume, he glanced around the room. "This guy just kissed me! Well not _me_ -me, you know, but... and it was out of nowhere!"

"And then what happened?" Souji asked.

"Well..." Yosuke turned back to the computer and clicked through the next few lines of dialogue. "Aoba's reacting about the same way I would. Seriously, what the heck man. I mean, he doesn't even know this guy."

Souji opened his mouth to quip, 'So it would've been okay if he did know him?' but Yosuke's attention was already back to the screen. Souji couldn't help but grin. It looked like he was hooked into the game despite that.

Regretfully, Souji had to leave for another class. Yosuke was lucky to have the day off, but he'd planned his college schedule that way. It meant tomorrow he wouldn't have any time to play games.

Which was why, when Souji returned, he was not surprised at all to find Yosuke hadn't moved in the intervening hours. The water bottle on the desk was untouched, and Souji doubted it was because he'd refilled it. Probably he was ignoring it so he wouldn't need to stop playing to use the bathroom.

"How's it going?" Souji asked.

Yosuke didn't even look at him, and it took a long moment for him to finally answer. "You missed a lot. There was a kidnapping, and some fighting, and now we're about to go infiltrate the big jail thing."

Souji decided to get right to the point. "No more kissing?"

"Nope, but... I guess my partner for this mission is the kissy dude. Aoba can only bring one person with him."

Ah, Souji thought. He was on a particular character's path, then. That meant... soon.

Souji grinned to himself and settled down on the couch, angling himself so that he'd have a prime view of Yosuke on the computer. He read a book, glancing up at Yosuke whenever he made the slightest movement. His neck started to get sore because he was glancing up too often so he just gave up and flat out watched his friend play the game.

Then finally, it happened.

"Wh-whoa," said Yosuke. "What the heck..." He leaned back in the chair. "U-umm, uhh..."

"What happened?"

Yosuke glanced at him long enough for him to see his rosy cheeks, but then focused determinedly away. "K-kissing again..."

"Oh," said Souji in a disappointed tone. "Only kissing?"

"No," Yosuke admitted. "They're... more than kissing."

His eyes couldn't seem to focus on any one point as he tried to look anywhere but the computer screen. Souji wished he was sitting closer. It had to be depicting something spicy.

"Do you need me to leave the room?" Souji asked. "You aren't getting past this scene."

"W-well, I don't want to just click through it!"

"Then read it," Souji said. "I won't judge you. There's probably important character development happening."

"Development that's happening below the belt," Yosuke muttered, but after a few more moments of hesitation he quieted down and turned his attention back to the game.

The blush on Yosuke's face had a more otherworldly appearance when lit by the screen. Eventually, though, it disappeared as he got past that scene.

"Man," Yosuke said a little while later. "I should've known Rise was way too eager for me to play this game. Now I know why."

"Boy's Love does seem to be her genre," Souji agreed. "I guess you can stop playing now."

"Huh?" Yosuke turned a frown on him. "But if I stop now, I'll never find out why Aoba knows how to play Rhyme. Or why he forgot that he used to play it, or whatever. I'm invested now, I have to know. And I want to know why this guy felt he had to kiss him. Or more than kiss. Or whatever."

"But it's only going to get, uhh..." Souji paused to choose his words carefully, "more explicit."

"Well," Yosuke said, crossing his arms. "I don't have to like it."

By the blush on his face, though, he might. As it turned out, the important character development was happening to Yosuke himself.


	8. travel

[Summary: Souji on the train leaving Inaba...]

* * *

[Author's note: This one is based on the ending of Truth in Someone Else, another souyo fanfiction of mine. This will make more sense if you read that first!]

 **Day 8 - Travel**

The train started moving, and the Investigation Team waving at Souji from the train platform were all too quickly out of sight. Reality sunk in a moment later: he was leaving Inaba. He'd known a year ago that this was how it'd end, that his stay in Inaba was only a temporary thing. But instead of going home, it felt like he was leaving it.

It couldn't be avoided, however. Souji took a seat at random and closed his eyes. What an early train. Dojima's reasoning in buying such an early-morning ticket had been that he would end up arriving at home early enough in the day to start unpacking. It was a nice idea, but Souji was sure he wouldn't have the energy for it. Packing all his memories had been hard enough. Unpacking them into a room unlived in for a year would be worse.

If it had been a normal day in Inaba, he'd be getting up about now. He'd go downstairs to find Nanako making breakfast like she always did. He was going to miss that. He'd miss the way she always arranged the eggs into a smiling face. There was that one time the eggs didn't turn out right so they'd joked the face was smiling through tears. Thinking of that now, it was... relateable.

He missed everyone and he'd barely been gone a few minutes. Teddie with his un'bear'able puns, Chie with her enthusiasm, Yukiko with her humor...

And of course he'd miss his partner.

He and Yosuke had just started getting comfortable as a couple, too, and then this happened. Long distance would be so hard.

It couldn't be helped, he told himself for the nth time. His parents loved him but hardly listened. It was part of why he rarely spoke up. Why speak if you aren't going to be heard?

It had been a year, though, and—

Souji's phone buzzed in his pocket. He smiled and then frowned and then smiled again as it kept buzzing. Inaba missed him too, it seemed. His friends were bombarding him with texts already. He didn't want to admit it, but it made him feel a little better.

He flipped open the phone, but the texts turned out to be all from the same number.

 _Always at ur side, partner._

Souji couldn't stop the goofy grin from coming to his face. Yosuke had followed it up with several lines of emojis that didn't show up properly on his ancient phone, but he appreciated the sentiment. Winky winky winky blush, huh?

He began to type out a reply before realizing he could call instead. He was alone on the train, after all. No one could glare at him for this.

Yosuke answered on the first ring. "Yo! I was just about to text you."

"Was it another blushy emoji?" Souji teased. "I'd accept that."

"N-no," Yosuke said. "...Maybe."

"Is there a kissy emoji? I want a kissy emoji."

"I-I don't know if there is one," Yosuke claimed. "But speaking of... well... us... Did you hear what I said before the train left?"

"Hmm..." Souji thought it over. Since everyone else was there to see him off too, it was hard to remember. The atmosphere had been too heavy. "You said I was amazing? Something like that."

"No, that's not..." Yosuke's voice went quiet. "I mean, I did say that, but there was something else, right when the train was going."

"Sorry," Souji said. "I didn't hear anything."

"Hey, don't apologize. It's my fault for waiting until the last minute to try and tell you something like that anyway. I really am a dumbass sometimes."

"Sometimes," Souji echoed.

"You weren't supposed to agree!" Yosuke sighed loudly. "Oh well, I guess... it's not important."

"You can tell me now."

"No way. Not over the phone."

"Then," Souji said, "the next time I see you."

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"I will see you again, right?" Souji's voice was quiet.

"Dude, you're my boyfriend!" Yosuke said firmly. "Distance doesn't matter. You'll be back for Golden Week, and I'm totally gonna visit you there sometime. I mean, I wanna know where you live, partner. I wanna see where you hang out for fun, and where you like to eat, and where you do your shopping, and..."

"And meet my parents," Souji suggested.

"And meet your—no way! That's scary!"

Souji laughed. "They're not that bad," he said. "But... yeah. I can't wait to see you again."

"I know," Yosuke said with feeling. "I'm going to send you pictures every day. Until you get tired of seeing them."

Never, Souji thought.

Unfortunately, the train was beginning to pull into a station. Since there were people waiting on the platform, they had to wrap up the call.

"I-I should let you go," Souji said regretfully. "I'm on the train, you know, so... but we can still text."

"I hope you have unlimited texts," Yosuke said, "because you're totally asking to go over."

"See you there, then," Souji said. The train doors opened and people began to board. With a sigh Souji began to pull his phone away from his ear.

"W-wait!" Yosuke said right then, his voice tinny from the receiver's distance. "U-umm... uh... I like you!"

Souji immediately brought the phone back to his ear. "Yosuke?" he whispered.

Instead of answering, the phone buzzed.

 _did u hear it this time?_

Souji wanted to burst out in astonished laughter, but there were too many people around. With a determined grin Souji texted back. _Somehow,_ he said, _I don't think that's exactly what you said back then._

Yosuke's response was a dozen blushy emojis.


	9. coffee shop

**Day 9 - Coffee Shop**

"Here," said Souji with poorly-concealed excitement. "This is what I wanted to show you."

Yosuke appraised the side alley that Souji had led him to. When they'd got off the train at Yongen-Jaya, Yosuke hadn't known what to expect. He'd never been in this part of Tokyo before. It was an older area, primarily residential, with lots of wooden homes built nearly on top of each other. There were a few antique shops that gave off a vintage feel.

Anyway, Souji was looking at the coffee shop to his left (though Yosuke spied a sign past it for hot baths that they could totally hit up later). It looked cozy, he guessed. The potted plants outside were well-tended. He read the name of the shop on the awning over the door. "Leblanc, huh?"

"You aren't supposed to pronounce the 'c'," Souji told him.

"Leblan? Now I'm thinking of my grandma's flan..." Yosuke made a face. "I didn't think you were into coffee. Oh, but you do have your own mug at Dojima's place, don't you?"

"The coffee's pretty good," Souji said, "but that's not the best thing about this place. Let's go in."

A bell jingled when they opened the door. The aroma of coffee hit Yosuke full force, making him strongly desire one all of a sudden. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust from being outside. The wall behind the bar housed a wide variety of bags of coffee beans. Yosuke wondered vaguely if they had that stuff made of civet dung.

"I'll be right there," said a man's voice from the back.

Souji sat at the bar and patted the stool next to him. Yosuke joined him there with a grin. He'd been hoping they'd sit at the bar instead of any of the booths. They could hold hands a lot easier seated next to each other like this, which Yosuke immediately instigated. Souji's hands were always so soft now that they weren't fighting in the TV World. He loved that he could do this.

A middle-aged man in a pink shirt and a black work apron came out from the back area. Yosuke assumed he was the cafe's owner. "Oh, it's you again," the man said. "Welcome back. What'll it be today?"

Souji ordered a mocha. Yosuke couldn't help but tease him. "Really? Chocolate in your coffee?"

"I like it," Souji murmured, turning his eyes down.

"Better than an affogato," the cafe owner said conversationally. "Though I serve it, I've never quite understood the appeal. Anyway, I'll have it ready for you in a moment. Is your friend having anything?"

"Do you serve, uh... not coffee?" Yosuke asked. Now that he'd become accustomed to the scent, he didn't crave coffee anymore. Besides, he knew the caffeine would be bad for him. "Like a chai tea?"

The man lifted his head to give him the most disdainful look. "I might be able to scrounge _something_ up," he said. He headed into the back, apparently to do just that.

"That guy kinda reminds me of your uncle," Yosuke whispered.

Souji shook his head. "He's harmless. Well, so is my uncle."

"You're forgetting the time your uncle took out a creep during the LMB Festival. I mean, I didn't see it but I heard everyone talking about it."

"Harmless," Souji repeated, squeezing his hand. "You'll see why soon."

"I'll trust you," Yosuke said.

They shared a quiet moment after that. Yosuke had some fun reading the names of the types of coffee beans available. Monsooned Malabar, Eugenioide, Pacamara Petite...

"Oh!" Yosuke said as an idea came to him. "If we kiss after this, I wonder if you'll taste like chocolate?"

"I'll taste like mocha," Souji corrected. "There's espresso with the chocolate. And if you're having chai, I think I'll pass. I don't like cinnamon."

Yosuke deflated. "Really? Dammit..."

While Yosuke was silently berating himself the man came out with their drinks. Souji's was definitely a coffee—it was the right color and the mug was steaming, but Yosuke's was green, not at all what he expected.

The man correctly interpreted his look. "I made you some matcha green tea. You didn't seem to care what you got, as long as it wasn't coffee, right? This should fit the bill."

"Matcha is better than cinnamon," Souji said, nudging him gently with an elbow.

As that, Yosuke grinned. "It's perfect, thanks!"

While they enjoyed their drinks, the owner told them a little about different types of coffee beans. Sure enough, they did have some dung-based beans in the cafe. He pointed them out when Yosuke asked.

The man gave them the bill when they were done, then moved to the sink to start cleaning some dishes.

"That was pretty good," Yosuke said. "But you said the coffee wasn't the best thing about the place. Did you mean the atmosphere? It is pretty nice. I think they should serve food."

"They do serve a mean curry," Souji said. "but actually..." He raised his voice to address the owner. "Sojiro-san, is Morgana in?"

"I knew you'd ask," Sojiro said, shaking his head with a wry smile. He called towards the attic stairs at the back of the store. "Hey, come down here, and bring Morgana!"

A couple of minutes later, a teenager wearing a stylish black and red high school uniform came down the stairs. He took in the scene with a bored expression, but rolled his eyes when he saw Souji. With a sigh he took down the duffel bag he carried and opened it up.

Out came a black cat, who... didn't seem all that happy to see Souji.

Not that Souji noticed. "Kitty..." he cooed, letting go of Yosuke's hand to offer it to the cat to sniff.

"I should have known," Yosuke said with a heavy sigh.

"A cafe isn't complete without a resident cat," Souji said.

The cat howled at that, as if it disagreed.

"I should charge an extra fee to see the cat," Sojiro said when the cat quieted down. "All right, that's probably enough."

Souji waved goodbye when the teenager took the cat back upstairs.

After that they paid the bill. When they went outside, Yosuke stretched. Going from the muted cafe lighting to the bright sunshine made him feel like he needed to move around.

Then he sighed. "I can't believe I'm jealous of a cat," he said.

"Don't be," Souji said.

"Why not? You came all this way out here for that."

"Yeah, but..." Souji hesitated before growing a playful grin. "You're the only one I want to mix mocha and matcha with."

"What do you mean..." Yosuke began, and then it dawned on him. It helped that Souji kept raising his barely-visible eyebrows up at him suggestively. "Oh. Well." Yosuke coughed, then glanced around. "Maybe we should uh... find a darker alley?"

Souji grabbed his hand. "Let's."


	10. valentine's day

[Summary: It's Valentine's Day, but Souji skipped class.]

* * *

[Author's notes: this kinda goes between chapters 9 and 10 of Truth In Someone Else, another fic of mine. You can probably read it without that, though. Not exactly happy with the ending but I ran out of time and I need to go to bed.]

 **Day 10 - Valentine's Day**

Yosuke had been dreading Valentine's Day ever since he and Souji had become an item. He didn't want to see all those lovelorn girls flocking to Souji's desk with dazzling smiles and hopeful eyes to bombard him with their homemade chocolates. Heck, he wouldn't want to see that even if they weren't dating.

Well, that was the spectacle he'd expected to find when he entered Classroom 2-2 on that fateful day, anyway, but to his utter astonishment, Souji wasn't even there.

A single girl by his desk was asking Chie where 'Seta-kun' was, but Chie just shrugged. "I haven't seen him at all today!" she added.

The girl kinda frowned at Souji's desk, which had a nice little stack of chocolates on it. After a short internal debate, she added hers to the pile.

"Huh," Yosuke said after she'd left. "Where is Souji?"

"I figured you'd know," Chie said, sizing him up. "He's your boyfriend, after all. Didn't you make plans?"

The way she emphasized 'boy' in boyfriend was rather comical, but Yosuke wasn't in a humorous mood, so he ignored it. "No? I mean, what with Marie-chan, we didn't have much time."

"I can't believe you aren't going to take him on a hot date," Chie said. "At least tell me you brought him some chocolate."

"Uhh. No?"

"Yosuke." Chie was shaking her head as if he was a lost cause. "Even Kanji-kun left him some chocolates."

"Well," Yosuke said matter-of-factly, "Kanji would."

Chie gave him a flat look and turned her back on him, effectively ending the conversation. Yosuke just shrugged.

While waiting for class to start, Yosuke's gaze wandered to the empty seat in front of him. There weren't too many chocolates—he'd always imagined his partner would have a ridiculous mountain, but it wasn't that bad. That pink one looked like it was knitted... was that Kanji's?

 _At least tell me you brought him some chocolate._

Yosuke frowned to himself. He wasn't a girl.

But... why did he think it was okay for Kanji to give Souji chocolates when he didn't think the same regarding himself? And he knew that when Souji received Kanji's chocolate, he would think it was sweet and cute and he would be glad that Kanji was thinking of him.

It'd be much better than the nothing Yosuke was giving him.

Feeling uneasy now, Yosuke got up from his seat and exited the classroom. He wanted to see Souji now. Wanted to let him know... how he felt. He didn't need chocolate for that.

Souji was nowhere to be found, though. It was somewhat amusing to think that Souji skipped because he didn't want to have to reject so many people, but Yosuke knew he wasn't the sort of person to skip class for a weak reason like that. Even after the most harrowing TV World experiences, he was always in class the next day.

Instead of scouring the school, Yosuke sent Souji a text message asking if he was okay. It took a minute for the reply:

 _no.  
sick._

Sick on Valentine's Day? What awful luck, but Yosuke figured it couldn't be helped. They'd nearly frozen to death in that sub-zero cabin just the other day, and yesterday they'd spent all afternoon and evening trudging through Marie's dungeon. Possibly Souji was feeling a relapse from his New Years cold.

Holding up the phone, Yosuke glanced around the hallway, as if the students rushing past him could hear the plan forming in his mind and stop him. Not a moment later he dashed down the stairs and headed out of the school.

The Dojima Residence was pretty far, all things considered, so it was good he had a bike. Fortunately the snowfall hadn't been heavy recently so the roads were mostly clear, though he had to avoid the odd late student running to class.

Honestly, he didn't care for snow, but now he had fond memories relating to it. The first snowfall on New Years, building the snow bunny with Nanako, seeing Souji in his gorgeous winter coat and scarf every day...

From that last thought alone his face was warm despite the cold wind.

Soon enough he was at the Dojima Residence. He rubbed his hands together while waiting for Souji to open the door. It reminded him of how Souji had warmed his hands with his breath on New Years Eve. Souji had been so sweet then, like the amazake. He'd never be able to think of amazake the same way now.

When Souji opened the door, he looked like he could barely stand up. He was paler than normal, which was saying something, and his nose was dripping. His puffy, bloodshot eyes widened in surprise. "Yosuke?"

"Dude, you really are sick," Yosuke said. "You should get some rest."

"I was going to," Souji said, his voice a croak. "But then someone rang the doorbell."

"S-sorry," Yosuke said, hanging his head. "I just wanted to know if you're okay."

"Well..." Souji said. "Now that you're here..." He was smiling shyly now, but then he swayed on his feet. Yosuke reached out to steady him. From there he helped walk him to the kotatsu, where, by the way the blankets were opened, he'd apparently been camped out.

"Souji!" Yosuke said. "Sleeping under the kotatsu is bad for you!"

Souji ignored him and got comfortable underneath it.

"No wonder you got sick." Yosuke shook his head. "Teddie taught you some bad habits. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him to look after you when you got sick last time."

"It's all right," Souji said, following it with a wide yawn. "If I sleep, I'll be better in no time."

"That's true..." Yosuke paused. Souji had closed his eyes and seemed ready to nod off already. "Uhh, anything I can do for you?"

One eye opened. "Mmm... water? I finished my glass."

With a nod Yosuke took his glass of water and filled it up at the kitchen sink. He placed it within Souji's reach, right next to his phone. Souji's eyes were closed again, and his breathing was steady and regular, if a little wheezy. Yosuke watched him for a moment before speaking.

"Hey, Souji?" he asked quietly. "If you're still awake."

Souji's answer was a slow, "Yeah...?"

"Happy Valentine's Day?"

"Hmmm..." Souji said. Yosuke couldn't tell if it was an answer or he was just breathing. "Is it Valentine's Day?"

"Uh yeah? Did you forget? Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."

Souji smiled. It looked really cute with his eyes closed like that. "Mmm, you did though."

"Huh...?"

A long moment passed. "You're here," he finally said.

"G-geez," Yosuke said. "That's cheesy." But he supposed that being alone when you're sick wasn't fun. Maybe Souji appreciated that he'd been worried enough to skip school to see him.

Whatever the reason, Yosuke wouldn't know. Souji's smile faded as he drifted off to sleep.


	11. confession

[Summary: Yosuke has something important to tell Souji, if he can manage to say it.]

* * *

 **Day 11 - Confession**

Yosuke was lying on his back on his bed in the dark. It wasn't an unusual occurrence these days. Third year was proving to be as stressful as everyone had warned him. With all the homework he had, his dad had even reduced his hours at Junes.

But schoolwork wasn't what was was causing him to stare at the ceiling with his mind reeling and his heart racing. It was something else entirely. And the closer he came to the conclusion, the more he broke out into a cold sweat.

He'd honestly been trying to ignore it, but after today... he couldn't.

Before he could stop himself, he called his best friend, Souji. "Y-yo, partner..." he said in a shaky voice when the phone picked up.

"Yosuke? Is everything all right?"

Yosuke wanted to laugh. Trust Souji to zoom in on his hesitation. "No," he answered with full honesty. "I really need to talk to you."

"...Yeah?"

Yosuke rubbed his face. "I don't even know where to start."

"Start with what's first on your mind," Souji suggested.

He took a deep breath, trying to psych himself up. "So, Chie invited me to a basketball game today. That kid that sits behind her was like 'Oh is it a date?' but no, I definitely don't feel that way about her. I mean, could you imagine that? Me and Chie?"

"Not really," Souji said.

"A-anyway, I guess she'd planned to go with Ichijo, but something happened and he'd bailed. No one else was interested, so she'd turned to me." Yosuke began to warm up to the topic. It was easy to keep going now that he'd started. "So we go to the game. It's some college game all the way over in Okina. They're professionals. They even have cheerleaders."

"Cheerleaders, huh? Sounds like you had fun."

"Well, the cheerleaders are supposed to be distracting, right? To make the other team fail their plays, I guess. I mean, they were there and all, but... I don't know, I just kept noticing how on both teams, those basketball players had some really short shorts on. That was way more distracting."

"The better to move around in, I suppose," Souji said.

"Never really noticed a guy's calves before," Yosuke admitted. "Actually, that's a lie, I noticed back when—but a-anyway," he rallied on, "You ever notice how tall basketball players are? And sometimes, when they throw the ball, they're so graceful about it. It was almost like a dance. Ichijo really missed out."

"What about Chie?" Souji asked.

Yosuke blinked. "What about her?" He paused. "Oh yeah, she was there too. I don't know. I don't think she noticed. Oh, actually, after the game... her scooter broke down, so she had to ride with me on mine."

"Oh," Souji said in a knowing tone of voice. "So it finally happened."

Yosuke sighed. "Yeah, yeah. The up close and personal plan. It wasn't that great."

"Why not?" Souji asked. "Because it was Chie?"

"Maybe," Yosuke said. "But I think... it'd be the same with any girl. Do you remember when we first got our scooters? And then mine got crushed and I had to ride with Kanji? I hated it at the time. But looking back, it wasn't so bad."

"Kanji is a good guy," Souji said.

"He really is." Yosuke sighed. "He was really nice about it, you know? He made me hold on tight so I wouldn't fall off when we headed down a hill. I thought for sure he'd get tired with my extra weight, but he wasn't fazed at all."

"You don't weigh much," Souji teased.

"Come on, I don't weigh nothing!" Yosuke shook his head instinctively, though he knew Souji couldn't see it. "But yeah, Kanji is strong, but you know what the kicker is? He's so soft. He likes kids and makes all those cute toys for them. And even though Teddie is all 'don't touch my fur!' he doesn't hold it against him. Doesn't that make him pretty amazing?"

"He is a good guy," Souji repeated. "But why are you saying this now?"

"I'm trying to tell you!" Yosuke said, beginning to sweat. "I've been noticing it more now. When guys are, you know. Being strong. But also soft." He waited for an answer, but when there was nothing, he filled the silence. "W-when they take time to style their hair. When they smile with their teeth and you can really feel it. When their clothes fit just right. I'm noticing all these things. And I think... I always did, but I just ignored it."

"Go on," Souji said softly.

"Because... guys aren't supposed to notice these things about other guys, right? Girls can compliment girls and it doesn't mean anything, but for us, it's... weird." Yosuke sighed. "Now I see why Kanji hated those words. 'Weird' and 'strange' and... 'different.' But if it's weird, why does it feel like it happens naturally?"

"Yosuke..."

After that, Yosuke waited with bated breath for Souji's response. He'd all but spelled out what he'd meant with all this. Though, on second thought, maybe it wasn't so clear. It had all made sense in his head, but he could see now that he'd been rambling. If Souji didn't get it, then he just had to _say_ it.

"S-Souji," Yosuke said. His throat closed up then, forcing him to choke out his next words. "I... I'm gay."

There. He'd said it. It was out there, and he couldn't take it back.

Silence followed. Souji was still there, Yosuke could hear him breathing. But he wasn't saying a word. Yosuke's pride in having finally said it rapidly evaporated. Why the silence? Of all his friends, Souji was the only one he trusted with this. The one he felt needed to know, even if it would affect their friendship. Would it affect their friendship? The cold sweat returned. What if—

"Thank you for telling me," Souji said. There was a short pause. "I know it isn't easy..." Another pause. "I'm sorry. That silence went on a little too long, didn't it?"

"N-No, I'm fully aware that I need to learn patience—wait," Yosuke said, "What do you mean _you know?_ "

"Because... I do," Souji said simply.

"You... so you..."

"Yeah."

"Huh." Slowly, Yosuke began to smile. If Souji was gay too, then... it was all okay. He relaxed as a profound sense of relief flooded through him.

Short-lived relief, anyway. Because if Souji was gay too, then... then every stupid thing... everything he did and said that hurt Kanji, every thoughtless comment...

It hurt him too...

"I'm sorry," Yosuke said.

"I'm sorry, too."

"Huh? What are you sorry for? I—"

"I could have told you," Souji said. "Helped you."

"Souji..."

Another silence followed. Yosuke felt tears in his eyes. He managed to blink them away.

"I was such a dumbass..." he said.

"Don't say that."

"Well, don't say you're sorry either!" Yosuke said. "You can still help me. You can always help me."

"I think," Souji said slowly, "we can help each other."

Yosuke took a moment to process that. "Y-yeah... we can. Promise?"

"I promise," said Souji. "Now..."

He trailed off. "What?" Yosuke prompted.

"Tell me more about those basketball shorts?"


	12. holding hands

[Summary: Souji won't let go of Yosuke's hand.]

* * *

[Author's notes: spoilers for the true ending!]

 **Day 12 - Holding Hands**

Yosuke waited after school at the Yaso-Inaba station. Tomorrow was the first day of Golden Week, and Souji was returning to Inaba this evening for the short holiday. He'd only been away for about a month and a half, but to Yosuke it'd felt like twice as long. He really missed his boyfriend.

He waited alone—he'd planned it that way. He wanted to be the first to see Souji. Maybe it was a little selfish, but everyone would see him tomorrow. Yosuke reasoned that he should get some time alone with Souji since they were dating and all.

After a long wait, a boarding announcement blared out over the speakers. Yosuke blinked up from where he'd been messing with his phone to find the train pulling up. The doors opened and a single passenger came out. Souji was wearing his casual winter clothes, the one with the black jacket. He carried a duffel bag under his arm, probably full of his clothes for the holiday. He looked around and his expression brightened when he saw Yosuke waiting for him.

Yosuke wasted no time in pulling him into a big hug.

Souji hummed softly against his shoulder. "Missed you," he said.

"Yeah, I missed you too," Yosuke said, patting him on the back in the hug.

When they separated, Yosuke found that Souji had taken hold of his right hand with his left. He felt Souji's playfully thumb caress the side of his hand. Souji's hand was softer than he remembered, with fewer callouses now that they weren't fighting in the TV World. Some of those scars would always be there, though.

"What do you want to do?" Souji asked, squeezing his hand.

"Well, we should probably drop your bag off at Dojima's, right?"

Souji shrugged. Yosuke felt it all the way through his arm since their hands were linked. "I can carry it. Maybe we can go eat?"

They headed to Aiya's, for although the big city had plenty of ramen joints, none of them had a meat generator. Souji sat on a stool at the bar. He didn't let go of Yosuke's hand, though, so Yosuke was forced to sit at his left. Yosuke didn't mind. It was reassuring, having him there in his hand, knowing that Souji wanted to touch him. The distance had been hard on both of them, after all.

You were supposed to use chopsticks in your right hand, though. When the bowls of steaming ramen arrived, he tried to pull his hand back, but Souji wouldn't let go. "Uh, partner?"

"Yeah?"

Yosuke tugged his hand. "Can you let go so I can eat?"

Souji glanced down at their hands. "Oh," he said, as if the idea didn't appeal to him at all. There was a long pause. Then his expression suddenly brightened. "Maybe I can feed you?"

"Uhh..." Yosuke began, but Souji was already bringing his free hand over and sticking his chopsticks into Yosuke's ramen bowl. It was a little embarrassing—Yosuke caught Aika-chan raising an eyebrow at him behind the bar—but he couldn't refuse his boyfriend.

"Do you want the tofu?" Souji asked.

"You already know the answer to that," Yosuke said. With an impish little smile, Souji grabbed Yosuke's tofu in the chopsticks and ate it himself.

"How about the egg?"

"I'll take that," Yosuke said, and soon Souji told him to open wide and half of a boiled egg was coming right for his mouth.

Eating the noodles required some coordination. Souji had to hold up the noodles and Yosuke had to angle his mouth just right for him to get them in. The ramen juice ended up running down his chin. Souji dabbed his chin with a napkin, which was even more embarrassing, but Yosuke reasoned it was a small price to pay to keep Souji happy.

At one point, Souji put the empty tips of the chopsticks right in Yosuke's mouth, pressing them against his tongue. Puzzled, Yosuke tried to say something, but then Souji leaned in for a surprise kiss.

"S-Souji!" Yosuke protested. Behind the bar, Aika-chan was raising her other eyebrow at him.

"Missed you," Souji said.

Yosuke mumbled something incoherent, his cheeks pinker than the spirals in the naruto.

As usual, neither of them could finish their meat-heavy meal. "I'll pay," Yosuke said, but when he made to pull his hand towards the pocket with his wallet, still Souji refused to let go.

Instead, Souji shook his head and took out his own wallet. "It's all right."

Yosuke decided not to fight it. Besides, it was really amusing to see him try and get his money out of his wallet with one hand.

"Is this some sort of challenge?" Yosuke asked when they left the shop.

"Hmm?"

"This," Yosuke said. He tugged on their interlocked hands.

"Oh," Souji said. "I just want to hold your hand. Is that a problem?"

When he put it that way, of course Yosuke couldn't refuse. With a mental shrug he just left it at that. Hand in hand, they walked down the shopping district, talking about whatever came to mind. After a bit, Yosuke figured that it had to be tiring for Souji to carry the duffel bag over his other arm, so he suggested they head to the Dojima residence.

When they arrived, Souji rang the doorbell. Nanako answered. "Big bro!" she squealed. She tackled him in a hug, not unlike Yosuke at the train station. Yosuke patted her on the head with his free hand since Souji couldn't.

Inside, Souji dropped the duffel bag right there in the entryway. Yosuke gave him an odd look, but supposed he could bring it upstairs to his room later. He and Souji slipped off their shoes, though it felt really weird not to have his hand free to steady himself. He leaned against Souji instead.

They followed Nanako into the living room, where they sat at the low table. She excitedly told Souji about everything he'd missed since he'd left. It was absolutely adorable to see how intently Souji listened to her. He was such a good big bro.

"And the big cat outside is a mommy now!" Nanako said. "Dad won't let me have a kitty, but... Don't tell him that I give the mommy cat milk every morning!"

"I'm sure she thanks you, Nanako," Souji said. "And her kittens too."

"Did you name any of the kittens, Nanako-chan?" Yosuke asked.

Nanako looked away, blushing. "W-well, there's... Princess, and Kitty-chan, and Blackie..."

"I think Dojima-san is going to have a problem," Yosuke said, nudging Souji. "She adopted them anyway."

"Good job, Nanako," Souji said, completely serious.

She beamed up at him with the force of several suns. If she used that grin on her dad, Yosuke thought, there was no way he could refuse her anything. And definitely not a pet!

They talked about a bunch of other things after that. Nanako's classmates, one of her school projects, the family plans for Golden Week...

Eventually, she asked, "Big bro?" in a subdued voice.

"Hmm?" Souji asked. "What's the matter?"

"You really like him, huh?" Nanako was pointing to their hands. "You haven't let go all this time."

Souji looked down at their hands as if seeing them for the first time. He lifted them up and appraised them. "I guess so," he said, giving Yosuke a somewhat sad smile.

"You missed him..." Nanako said. "Big bro, that's cute!"

"N-Nanako-chan!" Embarrassed, Yosuke reflexively tried to pull his hand away. Souji didn't let go, and as a result he was pulled right into him. Souji pretended that he intended that and took the opportunity to settle into his lap. "S-Souji!" Yosuke scolded.

"That's even more cute," Nanako said, blushing about as deeply as Yosuke.

"Imagine if Dojima-san came in right now," Yosuke said. "what would he think?"

"That we should be in my room for this," Souji murmured so that only Yosuke could hear. "Nanako-chan," he said aloud, "is it all right if we go upstairs for a bit? I have to unpack."

She nodded at them. Souji dragged Yosuke to the entryway, where Souji awkwardly picked up the duffel bag in his free hand, and then tugged him upstairs and into his room. He dropped the bag unceremoniously onto his work table and sat on the couch, pulling Yosuke down next to him.

They sat there for a bit, enjoying a quiet moment with each other's company. It was obvious to Yosuke that Souji needed some time to process the fact that he was back home in Inaba, even if only for a few days.

By now, though, Yosuke's hand was sweaty and cramped from being held so long. It wasn't comfortable at all for him anymore, and he suspected it wasn't much better for Souji. Besides that, his leg was starting to bounce. Something urgent was demanding his attention. "Hey, uh, partner?" he asked, breaking the quiet.

Souji blinked out of his daydream. "Yosuke?"

"Could you let go? Sorry, I've really gotta go."

Souji glanced down at their hands. He didn't let go, and his expression could only be described as reluctant. He met Yosuke's eyes with a desperate look. "Maybe I could…" he began.

"Look," Yosuke said frankly, "I know we're a couple, but I don't really need you to hold my hand when I take a leak."

"S-sorry," Souji said. "You're right."

He let go of Yosuke's hand then. Yosuke took it back and rubbed it. Souji hadn't held it too tightly or anything, but it was a little red just from the constant pressure on it. It was nice for it to finally breathe. "I'll be right back," Yosuke said.

"Y-yeah..."

He went to the bathroom, trying not to imagine what it might be like to have Souji hold his hand while he peed. It felt like a forbidden thought, so he quickly pushed it out of his head while he took care of his business. Soon he was washing his hands at the sink. He dried them with a towel, feeling good about how clean his hands felt now.

When he came back to the room, it looked like Souji hadn't moved. His duffel bag was still sitting there on the table. Souji was staring up at the ceiling. When he noticed Yosuke was back, he held out his hand expectantly.

Without thinking, Yosuke reached out, but when their fingers touched, Yosuke pulled his hand back, and Souji's hand closed on air.

"Souji," Yosuke said, trying to ignore the crushing disappointment now present on his boyfriend's face. "What is going on?"

Souji opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked like he was about to cry. Worried, Yosuke sat down next to him and put an arm around him, drawing him close.

"Sorry partner," Yosuke murmured. "I like it, I really do, but... moderation."

"Yosuke," Souji said, choking up. "I keep having nightmares. That I'm going to lose you."

Yosuke stared at him, then saw that he was shaking and pulled him into a hug, cradling his head against his chest. "Souji, geez... I had no idea. It's all right. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you remember Izanami?" Souji asked quietly.

Yosuke didn't want to remember. That terrible visage, the stench of rotting flesh, and the casual indifference to their fate...

"I keep thinking of how she pulled you down into Yomi," Souji said.

"Ah," Yosuke said, not knowing what to say. They never did talk about that experience. Even if they'd wanted to, there'd been no time. The next day Souji was already leaving Inaba.

"S-scared," Souji said. "I was so scared... of losing all of you. I knew you all followed me because I was the leader, but... I wasn't ready for that responsibility."

"I don't think anything could have prepared you for that."

"Probably not," Souji admitted. "I was so scared, but worse might've been how angry it'd made me."

"Like a 'how dare you touch my friends'?" Yosuke said. "You got that way sometimes when we were fighting regular Shadows. Your Personas... definitely got more and more powerful as time went on. And frightening, not going to lie."

"I don't usually get angry," Souji murmured.

"You're the calmest dude I know," Yosuke agreed. "It's a good thing, because... you know, I'm not so calm. Makes us a good pair."

"Yeah," Souji said.

He sat up now, breaking from Yosuke's hug so that they could face each other. He reached up to Yosuke's face to brush away some stray hair, then let his hands drop along with his gaze. He sighed. "The way Izanami had pulled you down like that. I... I keep thinking... what if I could've pulled you back out?"

"With your own hands?" Yosuke guessed.

Souji nodded.

"Dude," Yosuke said. "It's okay. You did pull us back. I don't know how you did it—I probably don't want to know—but I'm here. That's proof enough."

Souji lifted his head. His eyes looked so vulnerable. Yosuke couldn't help but put his arms around him again.

"We're all okay," Yosuke said. He gave Souji a quick kiss. "Moving away probably hasn't helped, huh? You haven't been able to see us, to see the proof that we're okay."

"Yeah..."

"You'll see everyone tomorrow," Yosuke said. "I promise, we're all fine."

"I know," Souji said. "And Nanako's fine too, but..."

At his heavy sigh, Yosuke took his hands and held them in his own. "If you want to hold my hand a little longer, then... it's all right. Heck, you can hold both of them."

"Thanks, Yosuke."

'A little longer' turned into 'the rest of the night', but Souji's grateful smile made it worth enduring sweaty hands.


	13. junes

[Summary: Little kid Souji doesn't like the elephant slide at Junes, but maybe if Yosuke's there, it's okay.]

* * *

[Author's notes: This one isn't meant to be shippy, just cute. It takes place in the Nanako Explains It All universe (another fic of mine), where Nanako and Souji are role-swapped. So Nanako is the Investigation Team leader and Souji is a 6 year old. And Yosuke is just Yosuke.

There was a scene in it where little Souji didn't want to go down the elephant slide, so this is a continuation of that idea hehe.]

 **Day 13 - Junes**

It was a lazy Sunday. To pass the time, Nanako had brought her little cousin Souji to Junes to have some ice cream. She didn't plan it, but Yosuke was there too. Honestly she didn't need to have planned it; sometimes it felt like Yosuke lived at Junes. Like he was just _waiting_ for someone to come hang out with him. Nanako shook her head. That thought was silly.

Anyway, he'd joined them at the food court, and now they were sitting at one of the round plastic tables, chatting while Souji ate the ice cream she'd bought for him.

"So how long does it take for you to get the Junes song out of your head after you've worked a shift here?" Nanako asked conversationally. It was playing on an infinite loop out here, apparently for maximum ear-worm potential.

"Not long, really," Yosuke said. "You just gotta drown it out with another tune." He tapped the ever-present headphones around his neck with a knowing look.

"Sou-chan," Nanako said, "do you like the Junes song? You know, I don't think I've shown you the full video."

So focused on his ice cream, the little boy didn't answer.

Watching Souji now, Yosuke noticed the flavor he was eating. "Neo Featherman ice cream again?" he teased.

"It's... nea...p-politan," Souji stuttered out with a cute little frown. He didn't turn his attention away from the ice cream and ate another spoonful.

"Right," Yosuke said, "and you're eating the chocolate first, just like you told me last time. Good idea!"

"I like the strawberry..."

"Next time we can just get strawberry," Nanako suggested.

"I like the chocolate too..."

"You can't please some people," Yosuke said. "Or at least, some six year olds."

Souji began to work on the strawberry next, systematically separating it from the remaining vanilla. It wasn't easy to do what with how melted it was by now, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"Hey, Nanako," Yosuke said. "You ever let Souji play on the playground up here?"

Nanako shrugged. "It's not really about 'let.' He's never shown an interest. Remember the elephant slide?"

"Yeah, but there are tons of other toys! Though we're thinking about getting rid of the sandbox because it's too messy. Imagine that, I can finally stop sweeping it up every shift!"

"Remember, he doesn't like to dirty his clothes," Nanako said. "It's a lost cause."

"His clothes _are_ always nice," Yosuke mused. "Huh?"

Souji was tugging at Yosuke's shirt. "P-partner, can we...?"

Yosuke blinked down at him. "What's up, kiddo? Done with your ice cream?"

Souji made a face at being called 'kiddo' rather than 'partner.' Then he turned his head towards the playground. Yosuke followed his gaze to the elephant slide.

"I thought you hated that," Yosuke said.

Souji made another face and tugged harder at his shirt.

"Fine, fine!" Yosuke said. "Don't tear a hole in my shirt."

Souji grinned at him, took his hand and pulled him towards the slide, though he slowed as they neared it, his enthusiasm dampening as he remembered, apparently, how big and scary it was.

"You really wanna do this?" Yosuke asked.

Souji held his hand in both of his own tiny hands as if clinging to it. After a moment, though, he nodded.

Despite that, he made no move towards the ladder. As the moment dragged on, Yosuke asked, "Do you want me to carry you or something?"

Souji looked up at him in surprise. "You can carry me?"

"Hey, I may not look as strong as Kanji, but I'm no pushover."

"He's totally a pushover," Nanako called from the table.

Yosuke ignored her. He picked Souji up and set him on his shoulders in one quick motion.

"T-tall..." Souji said from his new position.

"Okay, I'm not taller than Kanji," Yosuke admitted. "How do you like it up there? See any airplanes?"

"No," Souji said. "But there are b-birds..."

"Birds? Where?"

Souji pointed. A couple of pigeons were munching on some long-gone customer's leftover fries. Yosuke sighed. "I'll have to clean that up later. Anyway, it's slide time—H-hey, what are you?"

Souji had begun to play with his hair, crinkling the stiff strands that he'd so carefully gelled into shape this morning.

"Souji," Yosuke whined.

"I guess he's not a fan of the floppy hair look," Nanako said.

"He should be one to talk!" Yosuke sighed, then lifted his head to look up at Souji. "Do you want to go down the slide or not?"

Souji let go of his hair. There was a long pause, then a quiet, "Y-yeah..."

"All right," Yosuke said. "We're going up!"

He climbed the ladder easily—it only had four rungs—and before he knew it he was already at the top of the slide. It didn't seem right to go down the slide with Souji on his shoulders, though. Yosuke sat at the top, stretching his legs before him, preparing himself to go down. Then he took Souji down and settled him on his lap.

"Good?" he asked.

Souji sat back, nestling comfortably into his chest. Yosuke's chin ended up resting right on his head.

"L-let's go," Souji said when he was ready.

No more ceremony was needed. Yosuke pushed off and down they went.

"Wheeee," he said.

The journey lasted all of half a second, but both Souji and Yosuke were giggling by the end.

"All right," Yosuke said. He gently nudged Souji's back, trying to get him out of his lap. "Let's go back to your big sis."

"N-no!" Souji said, not moving an inch.

"Huh? No?"

"Let's go... again!"

"Again...?" Yosuke stared for a second, and then broke into a wide grin. Nanako would totally bother him later for this, but... You were only a kid once. "You got it, partner," he said.


	14. a date

[Summary: Yosuke, Souji, and Kichirou go out to dinner as a family.]

* * *

[Author's notes: another one based on Days Without Nights!]

 **Day 14 - a date**

"Daaaaaaad," Kichirou called through the bathroom door. "Hurry up!"

"Just another minute," Yosuke called back.

"Okay!"

Yosuke sighed in front of the mirror, supposing he had spent a lot of time gussying himself up in here. He just wanted to look as nice as he could, though his son didn't know that.

He, his son, and Souji were going to go out for dinner. They'd gone out for fast food before once, but that wasn't the same. Yosuke hadn't been in a relationship with Souji back then. And that had been before... all that awkwardness. Now it was different. They were together, and tonight they were going to a nice Italian restaurant.

It was a date.

Just the thought gave Yosuke a warm, fuzzy feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure what exactly Souji was to him—his boyfriend? His lover? He was still married to Michiko, after all—but he knew he loved him.

And he wanted to look nice. Souji had never seen him in this suit before. It was one he kept in the closet for the work parties he occasionally ended up invited to. It smelled a little musty... maybe he should put on more cologne.

"Daaaaaaad! It's been three minutes!"

"All right, all right," Yosuke said. He smiled at himself in the mirror one last time. He looked good, and his smiles were more genuine lately, that was sure.

Now for the verdict. Yosuke headed out of the bathroom, passing his son, who was grinning cheekily at him, and found Souji waiting for him on the couch in the living room. He wasn't wearing a suit, just a nice dress shirt and black pants. Yosuke knew he hadn't finished transferring his clothing from where he'd used to live, so he didn't have much variety in clothes. Not that he ever had much variety, to be honest.

"Oh?" Souji said upon seeing him. "Tan huh?"

"Yeah," Yosuke said, lifting an arm and tugging at the sleeve. "Michiko said it matched my eyes, back when we bought it a couple of years ago."

"I was thinking more of your hair," Souji said. "Back in Inaba," he added, when Yosuke looked puzzled.

"My hair wasn't tan back then!" Yosuke shook his head in disbelief. "Or were you colorblind this whole time?"

"Tan..." Kichirou said. "Goes with gray."

"No, it doesn't—" Yosuke began, but he cut it off. Kichirou's cheeky grin had turned mischievous. Really, Yosuke had never known his son was so insightful until recently. It came up in the most embarrassing ways.

"You look great," Souji said. He stood up and smiled. "Shall we go?"

It was a Saturday night, so the restaurant was busy. Since it didn't take reservations, there was no choice but to wait. Yosuke was given a timer that would buzz when their table was available. He gave it to Kichirou, who played with it for all of half a second before growing bored.

The restaurant's waiting area was cramped and busy, but Souji and Yosuke managed to sit next to each other after another couple vacated their seats, buzzer in hand. Kichirou didn't need a seat, as it turned out; there was another boy his age in the corner of the room, so he went over there to make friends.

"How long did they say the wait was?" Souji asked. "I didn't hear."

"Twenty minutes," Yosuke said, settling down next to him. "That's not bad, really. You brought your phone, right? I bet they have free WiFi."

"Yeah, but what would I do with it?"

"Come on," Yosuke said, "I know you have a picross app on there. You can solve a few while we wait."

"I-I'm trying to quit!" Souji said. "Don't enable me!"

"You know I don't actually know how to do picross," Yosuke said. "Why don't you take a moment to teach me? Well, if you can learn it within twenty minutes."

Less than five minutes later Yosuke gave up taking in Souji's words as he enthusiastically explained edge logic, instead simply enjoying his tone of voice and cadence. The whole time he kept one eye on his son, who was playing with the other kid, apparently pretending the buzzer was an airplane or flying saucer or something.

Souji quieted too, becoming engrossed in just playing the game. Yosuke kept his attention split between the two, but after another group left the room, he could hear the conversation Kichirou was now having with the other kid's mother. He couldn't help but listen in.

"I like Italian food," Kichirou was saying. "We don't have it a lot."

"So this will be a treat for you, hmm?" the woman said in an overly childish voice.

Yosuke nudged Souji so that he would pay attention. They didn't often get to see Kichirou talking to other adults, after all. They might learn something.

"Yeah!" Kichirou said. "I wonder if we'll have dessert."

"Ask your parents to get the tiramisu. It's very yummy."

"Do you think they have strawboballs?"

The woman's eyebrows knit together. "Strawboballs?"

Yosuke snickered and nudged Souji again. Souji nudged back, a big grin on his face.

"Are you here with your family, then?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Kichirou said. "I'm here with my two dads!"

If Yosuke had been drinking anything he would have spit it out right then. His son always was too honest, but this time...! "D-did you hear that?" he hissed at Souji.

Souji was staring at Kicchan, his mouth wide open. "Did he... just call me..."

"His second dad. I guess you were upgraded from uncle."

Souji's eyes were sparkling, and it took Yosuke a moment to realize they were unshed tears.

Yosuke didn't have time to consider that fact, however, because the buzzer began to do its thing. Kichirou held it up and did a little dance. The woman he'd been talking to watched him bring it over to where Yosuke and Souji were sitting.

In that moment, Yosuke panicked internally, because Kichirou had just said that about having two dads and now the woman was seeing the proof. Yosuke became suddenly aware that he had sat conspicuously close to his partner, and not only because the seating was cramped. What would she think?

To his surprise and relief, though, she was smiling and waving at them. "Have a good meal," she said. "I recommend the lasagna!"

As his partner squeezed his son in a hug right at his side, Yosuke was happy to know that maybe there weren't enemies everywhere.


	15. shadows

[Summary: Yosuke asks about Souji's Shadow]

* * *

 **Day 15 - Shadows**

Yosuke was spending a lazy summer afternoon with his best friend. They were just chilling at Souzai Daigaku after having eaten their fill of croquettes. The day had been slow and peaceful, so Yosuke felt safe enough to broach a topic that had been on his mind for a while now.

"Partner," he said. "You ever wonder what your Shadow might say?"

Souji's eyes unfocused for a moment while he thought about it. "No," he said a moment later.

"No?" Yosuke leaned forward in his seat at the bench. "Not even a little? You've got to be hiding something."

"Is it really about what you're hiding?" Souji was frowning in contemplation.

"You're always so guarded," Yosuke said. "I bet you're hiding something really weird."

"Maybe I'm not hiding anything," Souji said mildly, "and that's why I don't have a Shadow."

Yosuke thought about it briefly before shaking his head. "I don't buy that for a second. Knowing you, it's going to be something nobody would ever expect. Like you're really a government spy."

"...If that was true," Souji said, "now that you've guessed it, I'd have to take you out."

"Just don't give Teddie all my things!" Yosuke laughed, then quieted down, still grinning playfully at his friend. "Alternatively, your Shadow would just yell at you for not being top of the class."

"I was in the top 10," Souji protested. "That's good enough."

"Is it, partner? Is it?" Yosuke teased. "Oh, or maybe your Shadow is mad at Dojima-san."

"Wh-why?" Souji asked, eyes wide.

"For not letting you adopt that cat outside!"

Souji was scowling at him now. "Her name is Princess."

"You named her? That sounds like trouble."

"N-Nanako named her," Souji said.

"You brought her into it? You're really asking for trouble. Oh, maybe that's what your Shadow is about. How you secretly want to be a delinquent! Defying your uncle at every opportunity."

"...I did eat his pickle," Souji admitted.

"Please tell me you didn't blame that on Nanako-chan!"

"No," Souji said, his cheeks pink with shame.

"Good, I was about to say—"

"That pickle was good, though."

"That doesn't make it right!"

They both laughed, and then enjoyed a companionable silence afterward. Yosuke ran out of joke reasons for Souji's Shadow to appear, so his mind wandered to other avenues, like what it might look like instead. Surely it would have a bowl cut.

"Actually," Souji said, "I know what my Shadow might want to say."

"Oh?" Yosuke's attention snapped right to his friend. "I have to know this!"

"Maybe..." Souji said doubtfully.

"Aww, don't be like that." Yosuke leaned further over the table, closer to his friend. "Tell me!"

Souji hummed, looking past him at nothing in the distance.

Then, slowly and deliberately, he kissed Yosuke.

Yosuke fell back, spluttering.


	16. beach

[Summary: Souji, Yosuke, and Kichirou play a racing game.]

* * *

[Author's note: another one based on Days Without Nights.]

 **Day 16 - Beach**

One of the best parts of a racing game was the way the _vrooom_ grew louder the faster your car was going. Souji was in the closing stretch, a nice long path with few obstacles, and listening to that beautiful tune. He was so close to winning...!

"Go go, Uncle Seta!" Kicchan said, sitting by his side on the futon. He almost stood up, he was so excited.

"Watch out!" Yosuke said. "That guy behind you has got a blue shell, don't let him—noooo!"

That crash sound, on the other hand, was the opposite of musical. Souji nearly threw down the controller as he totally lost the race. Instead, he handed it off to Yosuke.

"Your turn," he said.

"I'll make it count," Yosuke promised.

They were playing this racing game on the single player mode because one of the controllers was busted. They'd found a way to make it work by passing off the good controller every stage.

Souji watched Yosuke start the race, then grabbed the empty snack bowls and got up. "I'll go refill the strawboballs," he said.

He took the bowls to the kitchen and poured a nice helping of his patented strawberry cookies and into each from a plastic storage container. They probably shouldn't be having so much sugar tonight, but hey, every once in a while you just needed it.

After that, he sprayed the counter down with some diluted bleach and wiped it down since some crumbs had missed the bowl. They'd had an ant problem last week and he wouldn't risk a repeat of that fiasco. Then he stacked the bowls on top of each other and headed out of the kitchen.

However, he turned around too fast and slammed his foot right into the wall partitioning the kitchen from the living room. Pain shot through his foot. "Son of a BIT—" he began.

He spied Kicchan coming around the corner.

"—BEACH!" he corrected.

Kichirou entered the kitchen and blinked at him. "Oh, you want to play the beach stage next? All the water makes it hard to drive."

"Y-yes," Souji breathed quickly, clutching his pained foot. "The beach level, yes... I love... the palm trees..."

Kichirou saw how precariously he was holding the snack bowls and volunteered to take them from him. He then returned to his room. After a couple of minutes spent rubbing his tender foot, Souji managed to follow, though he limped a little.

Yosuke handed him the controller right as he entered. "Your turn."

"Already?" Souji said. "How did you do?"

"Second place. Not bad, especially compared to you."

"Isn't it Kicchan's turn?"

"You wanted to do a beach level, right?" Kichirou said. "That's the next one."

"R-right," Souji said. He sat down next to the boy and set his mind on the game.

Kichirou was right, though. Despite the fun atmosphere and tropical-inspired music, the beach level wasn't very fun. Souji grit his teeth when an enemy cart knocked him into the seaweed, which slowed him down.

Once he learned the layout of the track, though, the going went a bit easier. He even managed to get a mushroom for a speed boost, which he knew was game-breaking when combined with a bumper jump. He couldn't wait to fly across the track with it. Where was the next one? Oh, there!

"Watch this!" he told his family. As he came up to the bumper, he used the boost and...

…Another racer bumped into him, causing him to totally miss the jump and boost right into the deep water.

"Damn...!" he swore. "I-is a thing that holds water _don't look at me like that Yosuke._ "

Yosuke began to laugh. "Oh my god," he said. "I heard you earlier you know. Beach, huh?"

Chastised, Souji turned his attention back to the race. He was dead last now, of course.

"I never knew you had such a potty mouth," Yosuke went on.

"You kiss that potty mouth and you like it," Souji muttered.

Yosuke nudged him with an elbow. "Being a dad is hard sometimes though, isn't it? Casual swearing isn't easy to unlearn. Trust me, I've been there."

"Yeah," Souji said. "I'm sorry. And... looks like I lost again."

"It's okay," Kicchan said. "You'll do better next time."

"Hand it to me," Yosuke said. "We still have another life. Just watch me." He paused, and then a dumb grin came to his face. "I'll get revenge for you on that _piece of ship._ "

At that, even Kichirou began to laugh.


	17. sports

[Summary: Yosuke and Souji fall asleep at a sportsbook.]

* * *

 **Day 17 - Sports**

Yosuke fell asleep at the casino's sportsbook. He hadn't intended to—either he or Souji had to stay awake and watch the luggage—but he was so jet-lagged from the flight to America that he'd just closed his eyes for a second that had apparently turned into several minutes. Besides, the leather chair was just so nice and comfortable and it's not like he actually had any interest in watching American sports on any of the massive screens in front of him.

Regardless, he was being rudely awoken by a security guard yelling at him in English, probably for falling asleep here. He supposed the hotel didn't want freeloaders. Anyway, he made a big show of picking up a pen and a betting pamphlet to pretend he was a sportsbook patron who totally belonged here and not a freeloader. The ploy worked, as the security guard just sighed at him, said something else in English, and walked on.

"Well, that was a close one," Yosuke remarked.

Souji didn't answer. At a glance, he was totally asleep. Yosuke scowled. Why did the guard pick on him when Souji was equally guilty?

His scowl softened a moment later, though, because Souji was just so cute when he slept. Who could stay mad at that one uncooperative curl in his hair? At those girlish long eyelashes? At that button nose? At those thin but totally kissable lips? They were parted now because he was breathing through his mouth. Yosuke could see a little bit of tongue, and...

Besides, he knew Souji was just as tired as he was, more so perhaps after all that trouble with his luggage going missing. It was troublesome... but secretly Yosuke was looking forward to seeing Souji forced to borrow his clothes. He'd look fantastic in a v-neck.

While he was daydreaming about that, the security guard came back, and this time he noticed Souji. He stepped right in front of him and spoke loudly to try and wake him. Yosuke only caught a few words, 'Excuse me,' and 'sir'. At least he was trying to be polite about it.

"Souji," Yosuke said gently, setting his hand over his partner's. "Wake up."

It was then he noticed that Souji was wearing earplugs. He must really need sleep, or maybe wanted block out the incessant noise of the casino.

Yosuke touched his shoulder and shook him just enough to make him rouse. Souji opened his eyes and blinked a few times before focusing on the security guard standing there.

The guard began to talk with him. Yosuke got bored halfway because he could only catch a word here and there. Souji knew a decent amount of English because he'd taken a part-time translating job during high school. He'd also refreshed himself with some books on English basics during the long flight. Yosuke hadn't bothered, making the incorrect assumption that the English he'd learned from song lyrics would be enough to go by.

He let his attention wander to the massive TVs. One of them was playing a basketball game. Hmph, it looked like those basketball shorts were longer than the ones back home... how disappointing.

"He says we can't sleep here," Souji said.

Yosuke looked back at him and found the guard was walking away.

Souji continued, "I tried to tell him we're guests waiting for our room to be ready, but even though it's true, rules are rules. I told him we'd leave soon."

"Bummer," Yosuke said. "Well, maybe that killed enough time, and the room is ready now?"

"It's worth a try," Souji agreed. "If we stay here I'll definitely fall asleep again."

They headed to the lobby, passing through the greater casino floor in the process. It was funny, Yosuke thought, how going to a casino had sounded fun, but after watching rows of chain-smoking old people mechanically pressing the 'repeat bet' button in a zombie-like trance, hardly reacting when they won... Well, he decided that he missed pachinko.

Of course, checking if their room was ready meant waiting in the lobby line again. Yosuke found himself leaning against Souji as a wave of exhaustion hit him. He began to fantasize about the bed in the hotel room, imagining it already turned down, just waiting for him to arrive. Souji wasn't doing that much better. He kept yawning and shifting his weight from foot to foot. Whenever he blinked it seemed like he had sleepy tears in his eyes.

Finally they reached the desk, and it turned out their room was ready. Yosuke dragged his suitcase behind him as he followed Souji to the elevators, feeling almost as zombie-like as the gambling old people, his mind focusing on the sleep soon to come. Of course their room was one of the higher floors. The elevator felt like it was taking them all the way to outer space.

Fortunately their room wasn't far from the elevator landing. Souji mentioned something about the ice machine location but Yosuke wasn't really listening anymore. He just wanted SLEEP. Souji swiped the room card into the reader, but it took a few painfully long tries before he finally got it to work.

"Two beds?" Yosuke remarked before collapsing onto the nearest one.

"One for us and then one for me after you steal the covers," Souji said, joining him on the bed. He laid down on his side to face Yosuke.

"I'm not—" Yosuke yawned widely "—the blanket thief."

"You so are," Souji said. "The proof will be if I'm still here when you wake up."

Yosuke frowned, but his eyes closed all on their own. "Turn around," he said, punctuating it with another yawn.

He felt the mattress move as Souji complied. Then, he caught Souji in a hug from behind and held him tight. "You'll still be here," he said.

"I guess you can't steal the covers when we didn't even turn down the bed, anyway," Souji said, yawning too.

"Not... important..."

His words fell on deaf ears. Souji was already asleep.


	18. amusement park

[Summary: Yosuke goes to Disneyland with kid Souji.]

* * *

[Author's notes: Another non-shippy one based vaguely on Nanako Explains It All. Please read it for more cute little kid Souji :)]

 **Day 18 - Amusement Park**

Yosuke didn't know how he'd ended up taking a 6-year-old to Disneyland, but here he was. He'd thought it would be fun, you know. Little kids love Disney.

Right?

Wrong. Souji was just too shy and quiet a kid to enjoy the crowds of people. Most of the rides were a bust too. Yosuke understood being afraid of the Matterhorn Bobsleds, but Peter Pan? It was tailor-made for kids his age. Kids even younger than Souji had been waiting in line. Heck, Yosuke kinda wanted to go himself. But Souji refused to go on the pirate ship, so that was that.

The one ride they had gone on without any trouble: It's A Small World. Yosuke hadn't minded that much—the water and the fact it was indoors meant it was a refreshingly cool from the sun outside, plus there was just so much to see on the ride—but there was also something off-putting about have so many animatronics in one place. Yosuke could easily imagine how creepy this ride was when the park closed. All the little child-sized dolls locked into place when the power was down...

Anyway, after that, they were about to join the line for Alice in Wonderland, but Yosuke hesitated before the entrance. Something about the name 'Alice' gave him chills. He decided they should pass on that and go to Pinocchio instead.

While they waited, some people ahead in the line began to laugh at some joke they shared. "L-look, partner!" Souji said, pointing at them. " _It's a world of laughter._ "

"Uh, yeah," Yosuke said. "Sure is."

Then Souji began to hum the rest of the "It's a Small World" song.

That's when Yosuke realized starting out with that ride had been one of the worst ideas he'd had in a long time. He'd almost had the song out of his head, but now the earworm was back in place. Yosuke could only sigh dramatically and hope it would go away.

The Pinocchio ride was nice and peaceful, though Yosuke hardly remembered the movie, and Souji admitted he'd never seen it. Surprisingly, Souji took the big whale part in stride.

They ate lunch after that. Souji couldn't finish his kids' meal, so he offered it to Yosuke. Yosuke didn't see anything wrong with finishing it off—it was just a small plate of fries anyway—but when he did, Souji said, " _There's so much that we share._ "

"Really?" Yosuke complained. There was the earworm again! Yosuke thought hard about his favorite song, trying to get it in his head instead.

He almost had it when a kid at another table dropped his ice cream and began to cry.

Souji leaned forward in his seat. " _It's a world of tears,_ " he confided, following it up with the rest of the song.

Yosuke buried his face in his hands. " _Please,_ Souji. I just got that out of my head!"

After lunch they passed through Sleeping Beauty's castle to Main Street, where a lot of mascot characters were giving out autographs.

"You've got an autograph book," Yosuke said, looking down at Souji. "You ought to fill it out."

When they approached the nearest one, though, the boy hid behind him and muttered something about it being a _world of fear._

"It's just Pooh!" Yosuke said. "Everyone loves Pooh."

Souji shook his head vigorously, singing the rest of the song as if it was a mantra.

Yosuke sighed and relented. "All right, all right... but please give me a break with that song!"

In the end, it was more often a world of fear than anything else, as they skipped most rides except the ones intended for all ages. Souji did have a good time exploring Minnie and Mickey's houses in Toon Town, and didn't mind the riverboat ride to and from Tom Sawyer Island, so Yosuke couldn't consider it a complete loss. The most famous rides had lines that were over an hour long, anyway. He could never stay still for long periods of time like that.

The day ended with them taking the Disneyland Railroad back to the entrance of the park. Since the park was near closing, there weren't many people on the train with them.

Souji cuddled up to his side.

Yosuke smiled down at him and tousled his hair. "Long day, huh? You walked twice as far as me, since you're just a kid and all. You must be tuckered out."

The boy nodded while yawning. Then he blinked, focusing on Yosuke's face with a serious look.

"What is it?" Yosuke asked.

"A s-smile," he said after a moment, "means... friendship to everyone."

Yosuke's expression flattened. For the last hour a pleasant, ambient tune had been in Yosuke's head. That peace was shattered as _that song_ returned with a vengeance.

But now Souji was looking at him with sleepy gray eyes. Yosuke thought about how, of all the people Souji could be with right now—his mom, his big sis, his big bro, his little friends—he was here with Yosuke.

"You know," Yosuke said, smiling once more. "It really is a small world, after all."


	19. tv world

[Summary: Yosuke reflects on Souji's 'sweetheart.']

* * *

[Author's notes: One of the dialogue options you can introduce Margaret with on 2/12 is "she's my sweetheart" so that's what this is about.]

 **Day 19 - TV World**

Margaret came from the TV World. So did Marie-chan, apparently, but Margaret was more of a concern to Yosuke.

 _"She's my sweetheart."_

The words echoed in Yosuke's head. Souji had to have been joking, right? But no, Yosuke remembered clearly the way his lips were turned up in a curl of a smile, and how his eyes had sparkled. When he joked, his delivery was always deadpan, so this meant—

Yosuke supposed he couldn't fault Souji's taste. Margaret was gorgeous. Those full, cherry-red lips and long, sexy legs. Light wavy hair that looked soft to the touch. That aura of elegance about her... Yosuke knew he'd never have a chance with her in a million years.

That event had been a week ago, but Yosuke still kept thinking about it. Heck, he was thinking of it now, while he shared lunch with Souji on the school roof. Souji had invited him, like he often did, to share a home-cooked meal.

"No good?" Souji asked, noticing how Yosuke only picked at the California rolls.

"S-sorry," Yosuke apologized. "I guess I'm not that hun—hey!"

Souji had stolen one of the rolls from him and popped it in his mouth.

"No," Souji said after swallowing, "they're good." He tilted his head at Yosuke. "What's the problem?"

Yosuke made a face while he tried to come up with something to say. He'd been meaning to talk to Souji about this, but he didn't know where to start.

He finally settled on, "It must be hard, huh? Having to go to the TV World whenever you want to see her."

Souji blinked at him.

"I didn't know you were into older women," Yosuke went on. "I guess there's that maturity you can't get with high school girls. You won't have to worry about having to listen to her gossip about the latest on 'who kissed who' or anything like that."

Souji worked his mouth like he was going to say something, then frowned and closed it.

"But I wonder what you two even have in common. She's not even from this world. Unless that's the draw? That She wants to learn more about this world through you? That sounds kind of one-sided to me."

Souji's eyes narrowed.

"Though I guess there's a lot to like about you," Yosuke said. He gestured with his chopsticks at the food. "I mean, you're a good cook. You're also nice to a fault, but you're not a pushover either. I remember when you stood up to those girls at Junes for me... Anyone would like you, normal or not."

"Thanks...?" Souji managed, but he was still frowning. "I'm not dating Marie, though."

"I'm not talking about Marie! I'm talking about that beauty in blue."

"Margaret? I'm not dating her either."

"Wh—but you called her your sweetheart!"

"That's... because she is a sweetheart," Souji said. "She helps me a lot with managing my Personas. Without her, I wouldn't be able to create new, stronger selves."

"Okay," Yosuke said, "but the way you said it! And the way you smiled at her!"

"I was happy she'd fulfilled her promise to me to find Marie."

It was Yosuke's turn to open and close his mouth. He put his hand to his brow. "I really am an idiot, aren't? I jumped to conclusions."

"You sounded... kind of jealous," Souji said.

"N-no, I wasn't jealous." Yosuke shook his head. "It's just... I was wondering why you couldn't date someone normal."

"Like you?"

"Yeah!"

Yosuke stared at him for a second before covering his mouth with his hands. It was too late, though, he'd said it.

Souji was grinning now, a full grin with his teeth showing. It was something Yosuke had never seen before. "You could've just said it," he said. "That you like me."

"I don't!"

"Oh?" Souji said.

He picked up a roll, kissed it, and shoved it into Yosuke's mouth. Yosuke spluttered, rice flying out of his mouth.

"...Maybe I do," Yosuke mumbled after he swallowed the rest of the roll.

Smiling, Souji held up another roll and pushed it towards Yosuke's mouth. Yosuke opened his mouth, but Souji stopped it there, raising an eyebrow at him and nodding. Realizing what he wanted, Yosuke blushed hard, and then kissed the side of the roll. Souji took it and ate it.

Yosuke felt lightheaded, like he was burning up. Then he tossed his chopsticks aside, grabbed Souji by the shoulders and kissed him hard.

Why stop at an indirect kiss?


	20. fantasy

[Summary: The two dads discuss some fantasies with Kicchan. Final Fantasies, that is.]

* * *

[Author's notes: Minor spoilers for Final Fantasy 7/8/9. I guess? Oh, and this is based on Days Without Nights again haha.]

 **Day 20 - Fantasy**

Kichirou loved video games! He especially adored the ones with epic stories, fun characters, and, most importantly, level ups.

Apparently, his uncle and his dad had loved this genre when they were younger too. Recently they'd started sharing their favorite games with him. Kichirou didn't mind playing retro games, though the menus tended to be harder to figure out. And the blocky graphics made it seem more like cartoons instead.

Anyway, they'd had him play the Final Fantasy series in order. He was currently playing Chocobo Hot & Cold in Final Fantasy 9 while they watched. His dad was in a chair he'd brought in from the kitchen and Uncle Seta was sitting next to him on the futon.

Uncle Seta was humming along with the minigame's music. He paused to say, "This is fun but I kinda miss the Chocobo racing."

"Eh," said Dad with a shrug. "I'll be glad not to hear the Golden Saucer music anytime soon."

Uncle Seta began to hum that song instead. Dad groaned overdramatically.

"Final Fantasy 7 is a good game, though," Dad said a moment later. "It was one of the first games I'd ever finished. I never really had the attention span, you know?" Kichirou smiled to himself. He'd already heard this whole story back when he'd been playing that game. "But that one drew me in so much, I played it a whole week straight. I even skipped dinner and my mom was so mad. But man... you know that game made me cry?"

"Someone spoiled the game for me," Uncle Seta said, "so I didn't cry."

"You totally cried anyway," Dad said.

"I cried," Kichirou said.

"Yeah," said Uncle Seta. "You did." He wrapped his arms around Kichirou from behind, drawing him into a hug. Then he touched the controller in his hands. "May I play the next round?"

Kichirou looked up and nodded. Then he snuggled back, getting comfortable in Uncle Seta's lap while he watched him play the minigame. Hopefully he'd find a chocograph piece!

"I think Cloud belongs with Tifa anyway," Dad said.

"...You only like Tifa because she's topheavy," said Uncle Seta.

"Wh-wha—no! She and Cloud are childhood friends, you know? That's cute."

"I like Aeris," Kichirou said. "Because she reminds me of Mom."

His dad didn't say anything to that. It was always hard for him when he brought Mom up. Uncle Seta was tense, too, he could tell.

"Because she's nice," Kichirou continued, ignoring the mood shift, "but... she's strong too."

"Very strong," Uncle Seta murmured. Kichirou smiled, because sitting in his lap, he could feel every word. "But I think Cloud belongs with Barret."

"And you only ship that because they're both boys," Dad said. The look he gave Uncle Seta then was hard, but he was smiling, so it wasn't really that hard.

Uncle Seta didn't answer, but Kichirou could feel that he was hiding a laugh.

"Well," Dad said, "regardless of who you ship there, it's still better than the whole romance in Final Fantasy 8."

Uncle Seta dropped the controller. Slowly he turned to look at Dad. "How dare you."

Dad snickered. "Are you going to tell me that game was flawless?"

"I'm aware it's not perfect," Uncle Seta replied. "But I think Rinoa's narrative is compelling."

"What's compelling mean?" Kichirou asked.

"Like you believe it," Uncle Seta said, "like you feel it, like it calls to you."

"Your Uncle Seta is compelled to make strawboballs every week," Dad joked. "But really man, you found Rinoa and Squall compelling? It felt more like Rinoa was rebounding onto him after that thing with Seifer."

Uncle Seta sat back. Kichirou took the opportunity to lean back with him. "A rebound? That's the first time I've heard that. I don't think it was a rebound. I mean, you thought *I* was a rebound."

"C-come on," Dad said. "Don't tell Ki-kun that!" He sighed, then frowned. "I mean, they made Squall and Rinoa happen in the end, but I didn't think it was convincing."

"Yeah, they could have told the story better," Uncle Seta said.

"It didn't feel natural at all, though I can tell they tried. You know, Seifer was good? They tried to make it seem like he was the assho—I mean, the jerk rival character, but he was just misguided. And the great thing was, his friends were there for him, you know? Even if he was heading down a bad path, they didn't abandon him. And that part where they thought he died..."

"Huh," Uncle Seta said. "I didn't think you were an Almasy Apologist. You're not wrong. He's a good character. It's almost too bad he didn't join the party."

"I like Squall," Kichirou said. "I liked seeing when he was a kid. And he had a big sis, just like you Uncle Seta! But she wasn't as cool as yours."

"Nanako is the coolest," Uncle Seta agreed. "But she's actually my little sister. I guess she seemed older when you met her."

"Sorceress Edea was so cool too! She was married to a really lame guy..." Kichirou hardly noticed his uncle give his dad a look because he was totally warming up to the topic. "She fell from the ceiling and went right through a wall and her hair was everywhere and she made LIZARDS" — Kichirou jumped as he shouted, throwing his arms up in excitement and nearly hitting Uncle Seta — "and she killed the president like it was no big deal! And everyone saw it! But they didn't care!"

"I dunno," said Dad. "Edea kinda gives me nightmares."

"And she turned out to be everyone's mom the whole time," Kichirou said. "And she really cared about them..."

"Kinda like Garnet, right?" Dad said.

"Huh?" Kichirou blinked, then glanced at the game currently playing on the screen. "Not really, Dad. Maybe more like Beatrix!"

"What about Vivi?" Uncle Seta asked. "Or Puck. They're about your age."

Kichirou thought about it for a moment. "Freya is way cooler. She's a dragoon! She can jump really high... and then land on the enemy... like this!" He smacked his hand against Uncle Seta's knee.

"Ow!" said Uncle Seta, but he was laughing. "I guess you won't care for Eiko then."

"Who's that?"

"Maybe you'd know if you progressed the game instead of playing with chocobos all night," Dad said.

Kichirou pouted. "We haven't found all the chocograph pieces yet!"

Dad sighed. "Little did I know my son was a completionist."

"Well..." Kichirou said. "If I do everything, then... you two spend more time with me, so...!"

"We all win," Uncle Seta finished.

"Don't worry, son," Dad said, "we'll have games to play together for a long time."

"Yeah," said Uncle Seta. "We haven't even started Legend of Dragoon."

Dad groaned.


	21. arts crafts writing

[Summary: art students... raging.]

* * *

 **Day 21 - Arts/Crafts/Writing**

Yosuke only took an art class in college for some easy elective credits. When he found out they were going to do an anatomy study with live nude models, he was ecstatic. Finally he could see a naked girl without any obligation!

But as it turned out, _of course_ they'd start with male models first.

With an aura of dread, Yosuke followed his classmates into the modeling room. The center stage, where the model would soon be, was surrounded by a semi-circle of chairs and drawing easels. Yosuke took a seat at random. It didn't really matter, his mood wasn't going to be improved by a better view.

He glanced at his classmates, wondering if they felt the same as he did about this. Most of them were getting their charcoal ready or looking bored. There was a cute girl in the corner who looked nervous, but her friend assured her that she'd get over the awkwardness fast.

Like hell, Yosuke thought. He wasn't sure how you were supposed to 'get over' a naked man in the room. What if it was an old guy? He'd heard horror stories about saggy old hags doing perverted poses, but the same could happen with a male model too. A pruny old man obscenely spreading his spindly legs apart and giving the college age girls suggestive looks—

Speak of the devil, a gray-haired man in a brown robe was now walking to the stage. Before Yosuke could process it, the old man was shedding his robe.

Oh god, he really was naked. Yosuke fixed his gaze above the old man's head and muttered a curse at Chie for telling him to take this stupid class.

"All right," said the professor, "we will start with 5 minute poses. Seta, whenever you're ready you may pose."

Yosuke didn't intend to see what pose the old man—Seta?— took, but the sound of several charcoals on paper made him rethink that. The professor was already walking around, prepared to give the students advice, and he couldn't have nothing drawn or he'd be drawing her attention instead.

He finally looked at the man, focusing on his face. As it turned out, despite the gray hair, Seta wasn't old at all. In fact, he looked about his own age. Yosuke sighed in relief.

Seta had a pretty face, for a guy, round but not pudgy and with a strong enough chin. His gray eyes were unfocused as he sat crosslegged with his hands in his lap. He was in good shape too. Yosuke noticed this without looking... there. He was muscular but not ridiculously buff and was that a big scar on his chest? Yosuke wondered where that came from before remembering that he was supposed to be drawing.

Yosuke barely got the roughest outline of the man's torso and crossed legs when the first 5 minutes were up. He flipped to the next page in the sheaf and started the process all over again as Seta moved into a new pose.

Seta began to kneel, one knee up and one knee down, which Yosuke was thankful for because from this angle, one knee was blocking the, uh, essentials. Yosuke quickly sketched an outline of the man's body. The curve of his back was totally wrong, but this whole exercise was intended as practice. When the professor came by, she corrected the way he held the charcoal and told him to draw from his elbow for the next sketch.

In the next pose, Seta sat back with one leg in the air, like he was kicking something. It kinda reminded Yosuke of Chie. He thought it was a pretty good pose for practice, since it allowed him to draw that slender leg. Knees were harder to draw than he'd expected. He didn't end up drawing more than the leg before time ran out.

After that, Seta bent forward, like he was about to start a sprint. Since his head was bowed, his hair fell forward. Yosuke spent more attention to detail on this than the pose itself, leading the professor to chide him. Texture studies were something they'd do another day.

For the next pose, Seta rested on both knees and held his arms up, like he was reaching some low-hanging fruit. That's what Yosuke imagined anyway, because there was nothing to block that 'something else' that was hanging from view. Yosuke totally avoided looking at it.

A movement caught Yosuke's eye. He must've made a sound or something, because for some reason Seta was looking at him. Yosuke hurriedly hid behind his easel and tried drawing the arms from memory. When the professor came by, she praised his work but said he should've drawn the body before the arms. Creating the core afterward would be counterproductive.

When she walked away, Yosuke peeked out behind the easel. Seta was doing a stretch between poses. The motion was fluid; he took his arms all the way up over his head and laced his fingers together, yawning quietly. Yosuke could imagine if he was wearing clothes, the shirt would ride up and show some skin. He wondered vaguely why that vision was so exciting compared to his nudity here and now.

What did he wear normally anyway? Was he a t-shirt and jeans sort of guy? Somehow Yosuke doubted it. More importantly, did he prefer boxers or briefs?

Seta's next pose had him flexing his arm. Yosuke snickered, because he didn't actually have much of a bicep to show off. Seta heard him, though. He couldn't turn his head in this pose, but his eyes were definitely aimed at him. Embarrassed, Yosuke pretended to focus on his easel. Geez, he didn't want a naked man's attention, even if he was attractive. Under any other circumstance, Yosuke would be glad to try and make a new friend, but this was hardly normal!

But he was curious about the guy now. He wondered if he was a student. Did he use the college's gym? Maybe if he ran into him there, they could chat or...

Heck, what did Seta's voice sound like? He hadn't said a word this whole time. Yosuke supposed he didn't need to speak, he just needed to stand there and look pretty, but it made him feel more like an object than a person, even if that was the point.

Thinking of it that way, it was kind of sad. This guy was exposing himself for what? Money? Yosuke couldn't imagine he was being paid well, and this wasn't an experience he could well forget, voluntary or not. Yosuke knew if he was the model, he'd be having nightmares for months after. But... he'd always been shy about his body. It had been hard enough for him to wear his swim trunks to the beach without wearing a shirt too. Seta must be strong in ways beyond physical.

Crap, the professor was coming his way, and, lost in thought, he hadn't drawn anything for the current pose. He quickly sketched a poor facsimile of Seta doing the Oscar statue pose. The professor only gave it a passing glance before heading to the stage.

The professor nodded at Seta then turned to face the class. "Good job, class," she said. "You've already made a lot of improvement in just an hour. However..."

She glanced around the room, pausing as her eyes alighted on different students. Yosuke shrank in his seat when she glared at him too.

"There is a vital piece of anatomy that many of you are skipping out on," she continued. "You know what I'm talking about."

Dammit! Yosuke'd thought he'd be able to get through this without... actually acknowledging the elephant trunk in the room, as it were. Let alone _drawing_ it.

Heaving a heavy sigh, he finally lowered his gaze and took a good long look at Seta's...

Yosuke couldn't help but blush. It wasn't like he'd never looked in a mirror after taking a shower, but... to see someone else's... and on display like this! It was weird, wasn't it?

He was staring. Crap, was it rude to stare?

Seta shifted from one foot to the other. When Yosuke finally tore his gaze away, he found Seta grinning at him.

Yosuke opened his mouth to say something—

"That's right," the professor continued. "The nose!"


	22. a kiss

[Summary: Yosuke goes to a concert.]

* * *

[Author's notes: This is based on another fic of mine called "Sleepy Sunday."]

 **Day 22 - a kiss**

Yosuke clapped his hands high over his head, following the lead of the hundreds of other people in the audience with him. As one they screamed at the top of their lungs between every pause in the songs being played on stage. He still couldn't believe he'd secured a ticket to the most fist-pounding hard rock band he knew. That was The Demon himself up there on stage, Gene Simmons!

It was absolutely wild. Flames were shooting out over the audience, accompanied by a fog machine and a laser show so frenetic it'd give a cat epilepsy. There was a bazooka, a flaming guitar... and at the culmination of an extended solo, Simmons began to spit out fake blood. And just when he thought the final encore was over, they went on to do another! And another, and another!

All too soon it was over. Yosuke filed out of the concert hall in a daze, thinking of just how awesome that show had been, listening vaguely to the other KISS Army members around him as they voiced the very same thought. The emotional high they all felt was going to last all night.

Yosuke sighed as he walked to the hotel he was staying at, thinking of the concert the whole time. When they'd thrown that guitar into the air and it'd stayed there suspended in mid-air, only to end up shot by the bazooka... not a real one, of course, but dang those pyrotechnics had been top notch. It could give Yukiko's Persona a run for the money.

After swiping his card through the reader, Yosuke opened the door to the hotel room. To his surprise, Souji was stretched out on the bed, in his ridiculous kitty pajamas and reading some sort of self-help book. He put the book away and smiled at Yosuke. "How was it?"

Yosuke hesitantly stepped towards the bed. "I didn't expect you to stay up for me."

"It's not that late," Souji pointed out. "The trains are still running."

"Not for much longer."

Souji sat up on the bed and patted the spot next to him. "Get changed and then come here and tell me about it."

After taking off his shirt and pants so that he'd be ready for bed later, Yosuke sat down on the very edge of the bed. "Well... you didn't want to go." The emotional high was starting to fade, guilt trying to replace it.

Souji leaned forward and tugged him all the way onto the bed. "We had a deal, remember? You went to the concert, and I went fishing. I just want to know if you had a good time." He pulled Yosuke into a hug from behind, and, a moment later, wrinkled his nose. "By the smell of it, I think you did."

"I had a few beers," Yosuke admitted. "But you really wanna know?"

"Of course," Souji said.

"In a word: phenomenal," Yosuke said. "Even after all these years, they can still tear down the walls."

"So it was worth it."

"Hell yes."

Souji nuzzled Yosuke's ear with his nose. "I'm glad."

"And you know that crazy tongue that Gene Simmons has? It's _real._ "

"Wow..."

"Oh, oh, and I got this!" Yosuke shimmied out of Souji's hug to find his pants where he left them on the floor. He pulled a guitar pick out of the left pocket and showed it to Souji. "Paul Stanley touched this!"

Souji managed to look impressed, even though he likely had no idea who that was.

"It's not that special, actually," Yosuke admitted. "He was throwing them out into the audience like candy. But still!"

"You should frame it," Souji said.

"Yeah!"

Yosuke knew he was grinning stupidly, but he was just so happy. And the tender look Souji was giving him... Souji was happy for him. There was no reason to feel guilty about having fun without his partner. They could always share it together later just like this.

"How was the fishing?" Yosuke remembered to ask. He put the guitar pick away and returned to the bed, sitting by his partner.

"I haven't found the Guardian of Okinawa," Souji said. "I doubt there is one. The Americans probably scared it away a long time ago."

Yosuke laughed. "But you had fun chasing it anyway, right? I can see you got a little sunburn."

"Sure did," Souji agreed, rubbing his shoulder and wincing. "You might need to lotion my back tomorrow."

"No problem," Yosuke said.

After that, he yawned and laid down on the bed. Souji soon followed suit, facing him with that sweet smile that was just for him.

Souji reached out and brushed away stray strands of Yosuke's hair. "You know," he said, "I'm surprised you still have your voice. I thought for sure you'd be hoarse."

"I think my hands have it worse from all the clapping," Yosuke said. "But... we'll see tomorrow. You'll probably have to talk for me if we go anywhere."

"I can do that," Souji said. He yawned, and then frowned a little. "I was hoping we'd be able to stay up a little more, but I'm tired."

"All that sun," Yosuke said, nodding to himself.

"I was hoping you could try and show me..." Souji trailed off, looking away.

Yosuke noticed the dusting of pink on his cheeks. "Oh? Show you what?"

"Well, you aren't Gene Simmons, but... Sorry, this thought is dirty. It's proof that I'm tired."

"Finish that thought," Yosuke said. "Now I'm curious."

Souji's cheeks were as red as the sunburn around his neck. "Show me how crazy _your_ tongue is," he mumbled.

"Souji!" Yosuke began to crack up.

Not looking at him, Souji stuck his tongue out and waggled it up and down.

Yosuke stared for a moment, then stuck his own tongue out, waggling it too.

Then Souji began to laugh, and Yosuke couldn't help but laugh too.

"You're such a dork," Yosuke said affectionately when they'd both calmed down.

"I know," Souji said.

A moment later Yosuke yawned and tears came to his eyes.

"Bed time?" Souji asked through a yawn of his own.

Yosuke nodded and together they slipped under the bedsheets. The bed was rather comfortable for a hotel bed, and easy to snuggle down in.

"Goodnight, partner," Yosuke said after he turned out the lights.

"Mmm, goodnight Yosuke."

Yosuke leaned towards him to kiss him goodnight... and he couldn't resist putting in a little bit of tongue.


	23. christmas

[Summary: an overly white american christmas souyo]

* * *

[Author's notes: they say "write what you know" so I did, even though it's not culturally accurate in the least]

Day 23 - Christmas

After a long, long day of retail hell, Yosuke came home to _this._

 _Have a holly, jolly Christmas~~~_

As soon as he heard it, he screamed. His scream was so loud it probably carried to the Ito family residence all the way down the road.

Soon Souji was rushing in from another room. "Yosuke?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

 _It's the best time of the year~~~_

"Why," Yosuke growled, drawing his fingers down his face like claws. "I listened to this crap all day at work, so why, _why,_ are you willingly playing it here!?"

 _Say Hello to friends you know~~~_

"Because..." Souji said slowly, "it's Christmas?"

"I don't care, I don't want to hear it!"

Souji watched him for a moment without blinking. Then he nodded his head. "Okay," he said.

He headed into the kitchen and soon there was blessed silence. Yosuke sighed in relief. The migraine he had wouldn't go away soon, but this would help.

Souji returned with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry," he said. "I just wanted to set a mood, since it's Christmas and all."

"No, I'm sorry," Yosuke said, shaking his head. "I shouldn't take it out on you."

"Rough day?" Souji moved around him to help him take off his heavy winter jacket.

"Yeah," Yosuke said, shrugging out of the jacket. "You don't need to know the details."

"You can tell me anyway. You know I'll listen."

Yosuke flashed him a brief smile. "Maybe later."

He tried to step forward, intending to head to the bedroom and get changed into something more casual, but found Souji hugging him around his waist.

"Souji?"

"What can I do," Souji said, "to get you in the holiday spirit?"

"Uhh... Do I really need to be in it? I mean," Yosuke rushed on to explain, "we're Japanese, we don't really do Christmas—"

"Daaaaad!" called Kichirou, and a moment later the boy joined them at the entryway. He was wearing a Santa hat that was a little too big for his head and some cheesy holiday clothes.

Seeing how Souji was hugging Yosuke, Kichirou quickly joined in by hugging his dad's legs.

"Welcome home, dad..."

"Thanks, Ki-kun," Yosuke said, "but uh... can you two let me go now?"

Kichirou stepped away only to tug on his hand. "Come on, Dad, look what me and Uncle Seta did today!"

Kichirou led him into the living room, which was suddenly decorated in all manner of Christmas. It hadn't been this way this morning. Pictures of cartoonish angels with trumpets were on the wall, bell-patterned streamers hung from the ceiling, a 2-foot tall fake tree stood next to the TV, which was covered in blinking lights, and the couch had a red and green throw over its back.

"Do you like it?" Kichirou asked.

Stunned in his surprise at the sight, it took Yosuke a moment to answer. "Uh, it's great," he said. "I can tell you two had a lot of fun."

"We baked cookies, too," Souji said, walking into the room with a bowl in his hand. Yosuke noticed then that Souji was wearing an ugly-as-sin green sweater with a cat on it with text that said, of course, 'Meowy Christmas.'

"Uh, yeah?" Yosuke ventured. Come to think of it, the house did have a nice homey baking scent in the air.

"Yeah!" said Kichirou. He reached for the bowl in Souji's hand. Souji 'nuh-uh'ed at him and held the bowl out of his reach, making him pout.

"Let your dad have some first," Souji said. He offered the bowl to Yosuke.

Yosuke peered inside and found red, green, and white frosted ball cookies. "What, are these a different type of strawboball or something?"

"Mintoballs?" Souji said. "I don't know, I didn't really think of a name. They have peppermint in them. You see how they're striped, like candy canes?"

"Oh, that's different," Yosuke said, taking out a green one. The striping wasn't done that well, making it look more marbled than anything. It was probably Souji's first time making them.

"It might be too minty," Souji warned.

Yosuke shrugged and popped it into his mouth. The taste was strong and nostalgic somehow, though he couldn't quite place why.

"So, uh," Yosuke said after finishing the cookie, "it's Christmas but uh... I mean, I didn't get you guys anything, like gifts." He glanced at the little tree, noting that there were a few boxes under it.

"That's fine," Souji said. "I didn't warn you that we were going to celebrate or anything. It's our first Christmas together, though, so I thought we should at least get into the spirit and decorate."

"Geez," Yosuke said, feeling more than a little embarrassed. "You're so cheesy sometimes."

"Speaking of cheese," Souji said. He left for the kitchen and returned with a tray of cheese bricks and sliced meat. He put it on the low table. "I got this cheap at the grocery store. I think they were trying to get rid of them. Sit down and let's snack out!"

Yosuke took a seat and speared a cheddar block with a toothpick.

Kichirou took a seat on the floor and peered over the selection. "We need crackers!"

"Oh, right," said Souji. "Be right back!"

Nibbling on the cheese, Yosuke mentally shook his head. He hadn't expected this at all when he'd come home. Honestly, after that stressful day at work, he'd planned to take some headache meds and conk out. But now his raging headache was just a faint pulse at the back of his head. It might even go away by the end of the night.

Maybe all he'd needed was some love and festivity.

Kichirou had been munching on a cheese block too. He made a face and tossed his half-eaten block back on the table. "That one's gross," he said.

With a curious frown, Yosuke speared it and put it in his mouth. "Oh," he said, chewing thoughtfully. "It's Swiss cheese."

"Blech!" Kichirou said with extravagant overreaction.

Yosuke tossed a mintoball at him. "Here, get the flavor out of your mouth with this."

"No way, Dad!" Kichirou said. "Minty cheese? That's even worse."

"Here," Souji said, returning from the kitchen and placing a tray of crackers next to the meat and cheese. "This'll do the trick." Kichirou took three crackers and put them all in his mouth at once.

Souji joined Yosuke on the couch and turned on the TV with the remote.

"Oh, oh!" said Kichirou through a mouth full of crackers. He swallowed then continued, "Are we gonna watch it now?"

Yosuke glanced at his son curiously, then looked at Souji, who was nodding.

Souji smiled at Yosuke. "Kicchan told me you can quote this entire movie from memory."

"Oh my god, I know exactly what movie this is going to be..." Yosuke began to grin. "It's your first time here with us but you sure know our family holiday tradition."

"I haven't seen this," Souji said. He leaned back on the couch and pressed the play button on the remote. "So this is going to be fun."

Yosuke couldn't wipe the grin from his face as the opening to the Featherman rendition of 'A Christmas Carol' began to play. Kichirou grabbed a blanket and joined the men on the couch, snuggling himself comfortably between them.

"You know," Yosuke said, "when this first came out, Ki-kun watched it every day for a week straight. Sometimes twice in a day."

"Umm," said Souji hesitantly. "Nice?"

Yosuke chuckled, knowing Souji didn't care for Featherman. It was a surprise he was willing to watch this with them now, but he figured Kichirou had probably begged him for it, and no one could resist that.

Kichirou giggled, and then the movie finally started. Both Yosuke and Kichirou simultaneously said the opening line: "Black Condor was not a humbug. But his heart told a different story..." The narrator followed just a fraction of a second later.

The movie was just as ridiculous as Yosuke remembered, but sharing it with Souji made it different. Despite his professed disinterest in Featherman, Souji got into it, asking Kichirou what was going on. Kichirou explained it as well as he could, but without the full lore, Souji was probably missing half the story. It didn't matter. They had fun anyway.

And then they were at the cheesy finale.

"A Christmas without love... is not a Christmas at all," Yosuke and Kichirou quoted.

"The end," Yosuke said after. "What'd you think, partner?"

"That was pretty cute," Souji conceded.

"Yeah!" said Kichirou. He looked up at Souji. "Can we watch it again?"

Yosuke saw the mischievous glint in his son's eyes and almost laughed. Oh, he knew Souji didn't care for Featherman. He knew exactly what he was doing.

"Maybe," Souji promised cheerfully. "But now... it's about time for bed, hmm?"

"Already?" Kichirou made a pouty face.

"Let him stay up a little more," Yosuke said. "It's Christmas, after all."

"Yay," Kichirou cheered. "Oh, can we have hot chocolate?"

"Good idea," said Yosuke.

"Is this another Hanamura family tradition?" Souji asked as they headed into the kitchen to make the drinks.

"Nah," Yosuke said. "But we can make it one, along with your mintoballs."

Souji smiled at him, and Yosuke had a feeling that was going to be a promise.

The hot chocolate was just what a cold night asked for. Kichirou put too many marshmallows in his, leaving him without much to drink, and Souji put a mintoball in his to give it a minty flavor. Yosuke didn't get fancy and just drank his straight.

They were enjoying their drinks in the living room when Kichirou said, "Dad, I think... you should look out the window."

"Huh?" Yosuke looked towards the window. Since it was night, there wasn't much to see except the outdoor lights from the home across the street.

"No," Kichirou said. "Go over to the window, and look out." He grinned. "You too, Uncle Seta!"

Yosuke glanced at Souji, who was hiding a smile behind his hand. He knew what this was about. Yosuke didn't, though, so he just shrugged and followed Souji to the window.

He looked outside, straining his eyes. Maybe Ki-kun and Souji had made a snowman or something out there? He couldn't see anything of the sort.

Souji tapped his shoulder. Yosuke looked and found that Souji was was pointing a finger straight up. Yosuke followed the direction it was pointing. Right over the window, someone had put mistletoe.

Yosuke began to say "Really?" but then Souji was kissing him, sealing the words forever. The faint taste of mint was left on Yosuke's lips.

"H-hey," Yosuke protested when Souji drew back, his face warmer than the hot chocolate had been.

Souji's eyes were half-lidded, his smile serene. His hands held Yosuke's lightly between them. "Merry Christmas," he said.

"Yeah..." Yosuke said. "Merry Christmas."

They looked into each others eyes for a long moment, hardly blinking.

"Was this Ki-kun's idea?" Yosuke murmured. "The mistletoe?"

"You know it," Souji murmured back.

Yosuke ignored his son's giggling as he moved in to kiss his partner again.


	24. party or festival

[Summary: An AU for the Culture Festival event]

* * *

It was the first day of Yasogami High's Culture Festival. Yosuke trudged up the stairs to the second floor. He didn't want to take part in some stupid group date cafe, and he was pretty sure no one else did either. Why'd everyone in class vote for that?

At the top of the stairs, though, he stopped and stared, because an unbelievably long queue of fellow students and other festival-goers was lined up outside his classroom. There was Saki-senpai's little brother, and Hanako Ohtani, and that girl who liked being on the roof, and that one old lady in her mourning garb, and...

Yosuke was speechless for a long moment. "W-wait," he finally said. "Are you all here for the group date cafe?"

"What group date cafe?" asked Kou, who was standing in the line. "That doesn't sound like fun at all."

"We're not doing a group date thing," Chie said. She wasn't in line. By the big 'Ask me anything!' sticker on her blouse, she was part of the festival staff, helping visitors find their way around the school. "Come on, Yosuke, you were there when we made the decision in class." She rolled her eyes. "Of course you weren't listening."

"I don't remember," Yosuke admitted. "But I can't say I'm all that disappointed we aren't doing that, even if it was my idea and all."

Kou laughed. "That sounds like one of your ideas."

Yosuke made a face, then asked, "So what _are_ we doing? This hall is more happening than Junes on a sales day."

"Our class is doing a kissing booth, you dork," said Chie.

"What, really?" Yosuke blinked in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes at Kou. "Wait, you wanna kiss someone other than?oof!"

Kou nudged him hard in the ribs. "Ahaha, no," he said, eyeing Chie with a vaguely panicked expression. "But no one can resist the guy they got at the booth."

"'Guy'?" Yosuke's expression flattened. "It's not Teddie, is it? I mean, he's always charming people at the store."

"Guess again," said Chie.

"It can't be our class rep. I mean, he's got the glasses going for him, but that's not a wide enough appeal."

"One more try."

Yosuke's crossed his arms and thought. Anyone watching him could pinpoint the exact moment the truth dawned on him. "N-no way," he stuttered. "Souji?!"

Chie's toothy grin told him he was right on the money.

"Why don't you get in line, too?" Kou said. "There's room for one more. Or five," he added, as a few more students lined up behind him.

"I don't want to kiss Souji!"

Chie tilted her head. "Well... you're in the minority here."

Bewildered, Yosuke glanced down the long line once more. Some of the students weren't even from Yasogami. Wait, was that a cat!?

"Huh," he said.

He thought of how he'd always wanted his first kiss to be something special under the moonlight. His tentative plan to fake a yawn and stretch his arm out and lazily put it around his girlfriend's shoulders, and then he'd move in and they'd gaze into each others' eyes and...

A kissing booth wasn't romantic at all. Yosuke wondered how many people were going to ruin their first kiss with Souji like this. A lot, by the looks of it. Heck, even Nanako-chan was in line?she waved at him when she noticed him looking?but she was just a little kid so it didn't mean anything.

"You wanna be the only guy who hasn't kissed Souji?" Kou asked.

Yosuke scowled. "Come on, don't make it weird."

"I, for one, am getting a kiss," Kou said.

The line moved then, and Kou moved with it, putting him inside the classroom. Yosuke stared after him, still frowning.

He remembered all the times Souji had listened to him without judgement. How he'd told off those annoying girls at Junes on his behalf, and how he'd always looked after him in the TV World. And when he thought about it, well, Souji did have a really cute smile.

They were best friends, and the truth was that Souji was important to him.

Avoiding everyone's eyes, Yosuke got in line. He could feel Chie sneering at him, but fortunately, she was soon distracted by a student asking for directions to a different event.

Despite its length, the line moved quickly, and soon enough he was inside the classroom, where the line looped around a few desks. He could see the kissing booth situated at the far end, next to the chalkboard. A thick red curtain hung around the front of the booth to allow some privacy. Yosuke appreciated that. He knew he wouldn't want an audience.

One by one, like a production line, people went behind the curtain to get their kiss and left with wistful smiles on their faces. It couldn't be much of a kiss, Yosuke figured, since it happened so quickly. It'd just be in and out. No need to get all nervous about this. Heck, Souji'd probably just kiss his cheek and that'd be it.

Yeah, there's nothing to worry about, Yosuke thought as the line continued to move. It was just a kiss from Souji. His best friend in the whole world. Besides, he was just one person in this big crowd. No one could judge him for being here. He could just point out that they were in line too. And he knew Souji. Souji wouldn't think anything?

"Next?" Souji's voice came from behind the curtain.

Startled, Yosuke glanced around before realizing 1) that he was next and 2) that Souji had called "Next" for him more than once.

With the combined strength of all the glares of everyone in line behind him hitting him full force, Yosuke couldn't hesitate any longer. He hustled around the curtain. Standing there resting his arms on the booth's counter and looking totally relaxed, was Souji.

Totally relaxed only for a second, anyway, because he was startled most ungracefully when he saw Yosuke approach. Yosuke wondered if he was okay, but within seconds Souji had composed himself. "Yosuke," he said, with a somewhat glassy smile as if he hadn't nearly just fallen over. "I didn't expect to see you."

Yosuke waved a hand. "Uh, w-well, it was Chie's idea to come here," he claimed. "And I gotta support our class, you know?"

"Oh," Souji said. "Of course. Umm, okay, then... come closer."

Yosuke nodded, determined to get this over with and move on. He stepped closer and closed his eyes and waited.

Nothing happened.

He opened his eyes. Souji was simply looking at him. Spacing out, maybe? No, it wasn't exactly looking, more like gazing at him in a way that reminded him of a puppy.

"Souji?" Yosuke asked.

Souji blinked back to himself. "Oh. Sorry. Umm, here."

He leaned over the booth's counter and gently set one hand behind Yosuke's head, pulling him a little closer. With the other hand he cupped Yosuke's face. Despite himself, Yosuke's heart began to beat faster. This was closer than he'd ever been to his best friend. His cologne was strong, maybe he'd put it on extra thick today. As for himself, Yosuke hoped he didn't smell as nervous as he suddenly felt.

He closed his eyes, because this would be too embarrassing to watch. Souji's presence drew closer. Warm breath played over his face, building anticipation, and then...

Souji was kissing him. It really was just lips on lips, a simple kiss. Yosuke sighed softly and prepared to draw back as the kiss ended.

Except it didn't end. Souji's soft lips lingered. Then his tongue darted over Yosuke's lips. Confused, Yosuke opened his mouth, and Souji apparently took this as a sign.

The kiss deepened.

Yosuke's alarmed sound was cut short by the realization that this felt good. Souji's hand, steadying the back of his head, was gentle as it threaded fingers into his hair. Souji murmured softly into his mouth, and Yosuke found himself murmuring back. He tasted faintly of mint.

When they finally parted, all Yosuke could do was stare and lick his lips. Souji was staring back at him, too, an odd look on his face that Yosuke didn't recognize.

Souji broke the gaze first. "You should probably go," he said.

"H-huh..." Yosuke managed. Slowly, he remembered where he was. At the Culture Festival, right. He was holding up the line. Other people wanted to kiss Souji, too.

And with a kiss like that, he couldn't blame them.

"R-right," he said. "Uh..."

Souji's eyes were already looking past him, as if he could see around the curtain to the next person in line.

Yosuke stepped away, unsure of what he was feeling. On his way out of the classroom, he didn't notice how the next person in line kept checking his watch.

In a daze, he wandered around the Culture Festival, but didn't find anything he wanted to do. After passing a takoyaki stand, he thought of eating, but he wasn't hungry. The taste of mint was still there in his mouth, making him think of how it'd got there, how it had been passed to him by Souji's tongue. He didn't want to wash it away just yet.

Eventually he ended up on the roof, where some of the Investigation Team were gathered: Rise, Yukiko, Kanji, and Naoto. Chie was absent, probably still helping out somewhere.

Rise sent him a playful look as he sat down to join them. "Soooooooo," she trilled. "How was it, Yosuke-senpai? Don't deny it, Chie-senpai told me you went for it."

Yosuke crossed his arms and tried to shrug nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Rise agreed with a nod. "I wish it'd been more than just a peck. Senpai's lips felt like they could do so much more."

"I must admit I'm a little disappointed too," Yukiko said.

"Wait," Yosuke said. "It wasn't just a..."

"Still," Rise said, "I thought you wouldn't go for it, Yosuke-senpai. Way to go! You've matured so much since I've known you. Don't worry, a tiny peck like that isn't weird."

A... peck?

"It wasn't..." Yosuke shook his head and caught Kanji's eyes. "Wait, did you do it too? The kissing booth?"

"Uh, yeah?" Kanji replied. "Senpai's the man. He taught me a lot, y'know. 'Course I gotta support him."

"Support him with your lips?" Yosuke's voice grew louder as he began to panic. "Wh-what kind of kiss was it?!"

Kanji's brow knit together. "Dunno what you mean. Was just a peck."

"Just a... Naoto, did you do it?"

"But of course," Naoto replied. "I can't deny I was curious."

"But what was it like!"

"I could describe it as no more than a peck. It was on my cheek, for the record."

"A peck? A peck?" Yosuke stood up suddenly, and the world reeled around him, partly from his panic and confusion, and partly from the blood rushing from his head.

"Yosuke-senpai?" Rise asked. "It's all right. We all kissed Senpai, or were kissed by him anyway. So we're all in the same place. Oh, but I wonder... does that mean we indirectly kissed everyone else too?"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth, and then sat back down. He palmed his forehead and splayed his fingers through his hair, trying to calm down. The revelation that Souji had given him and only him much more than a peck was too much for him to process.

"Nah," said Kanji. "Senpai had a whole jug of mouthwash back there. He washed out real good every time."

"That much mouthwash can't be good for him," Naoto remarked. "But I suppose he'll be fine if it's just for the festival."

Yosuke nibbled his lower lip. So that's why the minty taste. It had faded from his tongue by now, and he couldn't help but feel disappointed about that. Maybe... he could visit the booth again later?

The door to the rooftop opened and, to everyone's surprise, Souji joined them.

"Hi," he said, breathlessly. It had to be breathlessly, Yosuke figured, after all that kissing. But then, if he'd only given everyone a peck of a kiss, he wouldn't need much breath for that. "They finally let me have a break."

"You..." Yosuke began.

Souji smiled at him, then addressed the rest of the group. "How's the festival?" He sat down between Yosuke and Rise.

"The haunted house wasn't scary," Yukiko said. "This boy kept following me around inside it. It was very uncomfortable."

"For him, you mean?" Rise said.

Yukiko's eyes glinted in the sunlight.

The group continued to talk about the festival, but Yosuke wasn't listening. The kissing booth wasn't supposed to mean anything. It was just a stupid school event, but now, now...

Now Souji was right next to him and Yosuke didn't know what to think. He found himself watching his mouth. His lips were kind of red, probably from kissing people all day. Had it really been just Yosuke, or were there others he'd kissed so deeply? Which of these scenarios was he more okay with?

Souji was his best friend, and best friends didn't kiss with tongue, right?

At some point during the conversation, Souji wet his lips with his tongue, and Yosuke found himself mimicking the action.

All of a sudden?or so it seemed to Yosuke?Rise was getting up, followed by the other underclassmen. "We gotta get back to our class's booth," Rise said with a dramatic sigh. "We're just doing a bake sale. It's so boring."

"I dunno, the cupcakes are hella cute," Kanji said. "You oughta come by and get one for Nanako-chan, Senpai."

"I will," Souji promised.

"I'll come with you and get one for Chie," Yukiko said.

"See you later, Senpai~~"

In the middle of his crisis, Yosuke now found himself alone with Souji. He wasn't anywhere near ready for that.

Though Souji didn't seem to be either. He was fidgeting with his fingers in his lap. The awkward silence lasted for some time. Finally, Souji spoke. "Yosuke? You've been awfully quiet."

"Why?" Yosuke blurted out. "Why was my kiss different?"

Souji's eyes widened. "It wasn't?" he began, but he saw the look on Yosuke's face and stopped attempting to deny it. His eyes darted away, and then back again. Finally, he mumbled, "...Why do you think?"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth. "Me?"

Souji didn't answer.

"Me?" he repeated. "Of all those people... you really wanted to kiss me?"

Souji was blushing. Yosuke was pretty sure he'd never seen this before. It was flattering.

"That was my first kiss," Yosuke told him.

"It wasn't mine," Souji said.

"Well, yeah! You were kissing people all day!"

Yosuke laughed, and soon Souji was laughing too. The tension between them lessened into something more comfortable.

"I couldn't help it," Souji said. "I didn't want to kiss any of them, not really, but everyone had voted for me to man the booth, so... I didn't have a choice. And then you were there, and... I wanted something more."

"After the kiss you gave me, I kinda want something more too," Yosuke admitted.

Souji stared at him. "Really?"

Blushing, Yosuke set his hand conspicuously between them. Souji watched it, and like a wary feline, he slowly brought his own hand closer. Yosuke didn't pull his hand away. Finally Souji placed his hand on top, and Yosuke turned his hand so they were holding hands.

Souji's goofy smile after that was its own reward.

"You were my first kiss," Yosuke said. "And..."

"And?" Souji prompted.

"I think," Yosuke said, "I want you to be my second kiss, too."

As they closed the distance, Yosuke could only think: and third, and fourth, and fifth, and...

* * *

[Author's notes: I promised a reviewer here that I'd post this like 6 months ago, but then I had health problems and this just didn't seem important. Feeling better now, don't worry about me! Just enjoy the souyo I managed to finish editing :)


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